by Presenter and moderator of “Meet the Press” Chuck Todd announced Sunday that he is stepping down this year after nine years as the host of the public affairs talk show. Kristen Welker, NBC News’ co-director White House correspondent, will succeed him.
“It’s been an amazing run of almost a decade. I’m really proud of what this team and I have built over the last decade,” Todd said during Sunday’s broadcast. “I have loved this job so much, helping to explain America to Washington and explaining Washington to America.”
He plans to remain at NBC in a new role as chief political analyst, where he will serve as a key voice both on the field and during coverage of major events. He will also focus on long form journalism.
“When I took over ‘Meet the Press,’ it was a Sunday show where a lot of people wondered if it could still have a place in the modern media space,” added Todd. “Well, I think we’ve answered that question and then some.”
In a memo to staff members, NBC News editorial president Rebecca Blumenstein and NBC News senior vice president of politics Carrie Budoff Brown praised Chuck’s “thoughtful and passionate leadership.”
“’Meet the Press’ has maintained its storied role as the indispensable Sunday morning news program,” said Blumenstein and Budoff Brown. “Through its penetrating interviews with many of the biggest newsmakers, the show has played an essential role in politics and politics, routinely making front-page news and framing thinking in Washington and beyond.” .
Welker joins the ranks of presenters that included Tim Russert, who chaired the show from 1991 until his death in 2008. She is the second woman, after its inaugural host, Martha Rountree, and the first black journalist to moderate “Meet the Press”. ”
“Meet the Press” is the longest-running show on American television and celebrated its 75th anniversary last year. She has led rival shows in total viewers for more than eight years and won her first Emmy during Todd’s tenure for a special report titled “Schools, America, and Race.”
Todd led the show through some of the most momentous political events of the past decade, including the final years of President Barack Obama’s administration, the 2016 presidential campaign and election of Donald Trump, and the aftermath of the riots in the US Capitol 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 his first appearance on the meeting room to challenge reports about the size of the crowd at the opening. Conway responded that Spicer was providing “alternative facts,” a twist on phrase that quickly became synonymous with the Trump administration’s attitude toward facts and the media.
In response, Todd said: “Look, alternative facts aren’t facts. They are falsehoods.
The 12th host of “Meet the Press” and a five-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, Todd saw himself as the show’s custodian. “I don’t own this, I’m just taking care of the house,” he said during a 75th anniversary celebration in Washington last year. “I want to get it in better shape for the next person, and every person has done that.”
Welker has regularly filled in for Todd on “Meet the Press”. In his remarks during Sunday’s broadcast, Todd said he was ready to take a step back in part because Welker has been “ready for this for a long time.”
“I have had the privilege of working with her since day one, and let me just say that she is the right person at the right time,” he said.
Welker joined NBC News in 2010 and became a mainstay in the White House briefing room. He has covered the last three presidential elections, has traveled the world with top political leaders and moderated the final debate of 2020 between Trump and President Joe Biden. In 2020, she was named a co-host of “Weekend Today.”
“She has masterfully moderated presidential primary and general election debates and her sharp questioning of lawmakers is a master class in political interviewing,” Blumenstein and Budoff Brown said in their memo to staff members. “She is a dogged reporter who enjoys getting big scoops and she is widely admired around the office and online for her deeply collaborative nature.”
Welker will take over the program as the 2024 presidential campaign heats up and prepares to enter the primary season. The first Republican debate is scheduled for August 23, the Republican National Committee announced last week.
Todd took over “Meet the Press” in September 2014, replacing David Gregory, expanding the show’s broadcast and digital footprint to include a weekly podcast, blog, and 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 moving to streaming service NBC News Now last year.
He previously served as NBC News’ Chief White House Correspondent and host of the MSNBC series “The Daily Rundown.” Prior to coming to NBC, Chuck was editor-in-chief of The Hotline, a political news and commentary website, where he developed a reputation as an incisive election analyst with a quick command of data.
