Host and moderator “Meet the Press” Chuck Todd announced on Sunday that he is stepping down this year after nine years hosting the talk show on public affairs. Kristen Welker, NBC News’ co-chief White House correspondent, will succeed him.
“It’s been an incredible nearly decade-long journey. I’m really proud of what this team and I have built over the past decade,” Todd said during Sunday’s broadcast. “I love this job, helping explain America to Washington and explaining Washington to America.”
He plans to stay at NBC in a new role as chief political analyst, where he will act as a key voice both in the field and during coverage of major events. He will also focus on long-term journalism.
“When I took over ‘Meet the Press,’ it was a Sunday show that had a lot of people questioning whether it still has a place in the modern media space,” Todd added. “Well, I think we’ve answered that question and then some questions.”
In a memo sent to employees, NBC News’ editorial chair, Rebecca Blumenstein, and NBC News senior vice president of politics, Carrie Budoff Brown, praised the “thoughtful and enthusiastic leadership.” Chuck’s.”
“‘Meet the Press’ has maintained its historic role as the indispensable Sunday morning news program,” said Blumenstein and Budoff Brown. “Through his penetrating interviews with many of the most important journalists, the show has played an essential role in politics and policy, regularly making front-page news and shaping thinking in Washington. and more.”
Welker joins the ranks of hosts that include Tim Russert, who hosted the show from 1991 until his death in 2008. She is the second woman — after the first host, Martha Rountree — and the first Black journalist to run “Meet the Press.”
“Meet the Press” is the longest running show on American television, celebrating its 75th anniversary last year. It topped rival shows in total viewership for more than eight years and won the first Emmy of Todd’s tenure for a special report titled “Schools, America, and Race.”
Todd has been a showrunner in some of the most important political events of the past decade — including the final years of President Barack Obama’s administration, the 2016 presidential campaign, and the election of Donald. Trump, and the aftermath of the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
In one of the most memorable interviews of the early Trump era, Todd asked Kellyanne Conway, one of Trump’s top aides, why then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer used the first time. made his first appearance in the boardroom to protest the crowd size reports at the press conference. inauguration. Conway replied that Spicer was provide “alternative truth” — a phrase that quickly became synonymous with the Trump administration’s attitude toward events and the media.
In response, Todd said, “Look, alternate facts aren’t facts. They are lies.”
Todd – the 12th moderator of “Meet the Press” and a five-time Emmy Award-winning journalist – considers himself the show’s custodian. “I don’t own this, I just sit at home,” he said at his 75th anniversary celebration in Washington last year. “I wanted to leave it in a better state for the next person, and everyone did that.”
Welker has frequently replaced Todd on the show “Meet the Press”. During his keynote during Sunday’s broadcast, Todd said he’s willing to step back in part because Welker has been “ready for this for a long time.”
“I had the honor of working with her from day one, and let me just say she was the right person at the right time,” he said.
Welker joined NBC News in 2010 and became a mainstay in the White House boardroom. She covered the three most recent presidential elections, traveling the world with top political leaders and moderate the final debate of 2020 between Trump and President Joe Biden. In 2020, she was honored as the co-host of “Today’s Weekend”.
Blumenstein and Budoff Brown said in their memo to staffers: “She expertly moderated the presidential debates in the primaries and general elections and her questioning Sharp questioning of legislators is a master class in political interviews.” “She is a persistent reporter who loves to get big news and is widely admired throughout the office and network for her deeply collaborative nature.”
Welker will take over the show as the 2024 presidential campaign heats up and prepares to enter primary season. The first GOP debate is scheduled for August 23, the Republican National Committee announced last week.
Todd took over “Meet the Press” in September 2014, succeeding David Gregory, expanding the show’s broadcast and digital reach to include a weekly podcast, a blog, and an annual film festival . In addition to the Sunday show, he helped launch and host “MTP Daily,” a weekday version of the show that aired on MSNBC before switching to the NBC News Now streaming service last year.
Previously, he served as the chief correspondent for NBC News at the White House and as the host of the MSNBC series “The Daily Rundown”. Before coming to NBC, Chuck was the editor-in-chief of The Hotline, a political news and commentary website, where he gained a reputation as a shrewd election analyst with a quick grasp of data.
Disclosure: NBC News and CNBC are units of NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast.
