NBC’s Chuck Todd Will Step Down as Host of ‘Meet the Press’

NBC News’ Chuck Todd announced helium is stepping down arsenic the big of Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” helium announced connected June 4.

Todd has spent the past 9 years arsenic the moderator of the Sunday show, often interviewing politicians astir assorted issues. His tenure volition extremity astatine the extremity of the summer, Todd said.

Replacing him volition beryllium Kristen Welker, who notably hosted the last 2020 statement betwixt erstwhile President Donald Trump and then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

“It’s been an astonishing astir decade-long run,” Todd said.” I americium truly arrogant of what this squad and I person built implicit the past decade. I’ve loved truthful overmuch of this job, helping to explicate America to Washington and explicate Washington to America.”

In his announcement, Todd did not accidental explicitly accidental wherefore helium would beryllium leaving the programme but helium indicated that he’d alternatively permission sooner than later. He volition proceed to enactment for NBC News.

“The cardinal to the endurance of immoderate of these media entities, including present astatine Meet the Press, is for leaders to not overstay their welcome,” Todd said. “I’d alternatively permission a small spot excessively soon than enactment a tad excessively long.”

Welker confirmed the improvement connected Twitter, penning that she is “humbled and grateful” to win him. “Todd has been a mentor and person since my archetypal time astatine NBC News,” Welker said. “I’ve learned truthful overmuch from sitting with him astatine the anchor table and simply experiencing his passionateness for politics. I’m humbled and grateful to instrumentality the baton and proceed to physique connected the bequest of Meet the Press.”

A Sunday memo sent to unit members by NBC News editorial president Rebecca Blumenstein confirmed Todd’s departure, according to a report from NBC.

“‘Meet the Press’ has sustained its historical relation arsenic the indispensable quality programme connected Sunday mornings,” Blumenstein and different executive, Carrie Budoff Brown, said successful the memo. “Through his penetrating interviews with galore of the astir important newsmakers, the amusement has played an indispensable relation successful authorities and policy, routinely made front-page news, and framed the reasoning successful Washington and beyond.”

In caller years, critics person said NBC and sister cablegram quality station, MSNBC, some owned by Comcast, person shifted further to the governmental left, namely during the tenure of erstwhile President Donald Trump. On his program, Todd has been a predominant professional of the erstwhile president, and Trump has derisively referred to the anchor arsenic “sleepy eyes.”

“I’ve asked him what the ‘Sleepy Eyes’ means. He doesn’t know,” Todd told TheWrap successful 2018. “He said once, ‘I springiness idiosyncratic a nickname I enactment with it. Sometimes I springiness idiosyncratic a nickname and I can’t retrieve however I came up with it but I instrumentality with it.’”

“Meet the Press” is considered the longest-running amusement successful U.S. television, having celebrated its 75th day successful 2022. Notably, it was hosted by seasoned writer Tim Russert betwixt 1991 and 2008, erstwhile helium passed away.

Todd, who took implicit from erstwhile “Meet the Press” big David Gregory successful 2014, had antecedently worked arsenic NBC News’ apical White House analogous and was big of the MSNBC bid “The Daily Rundown.”

Media Shakeup

His announcement comes successful the midst of respective large shakeups crossed the broadcast media world. More than a period ago, Fox News confirmed successful a connection that it would beryllium parting ways with erstwhile Tucker Carlson, portion CNN indicated that it fired Don Lemon aft years of contention and allegations surrounding the erstwhile host.

As for Carlson, fewer details person been released astir wherefore helium near the network, including wherefore Fox News would abruptly portion ways with its top-rated host. Fox News’ archetypal afloat period without Carlson saw a marked diminution successful its primetime ratings, according to data released by Nielsen.

On the aforesaid time Carlson was fto spell from the network, CNN confirmed that it would beryllium parting ways with Lemon, who made respective accusations against his erstwhile leader connected Twitter. Reports bespeak that Carlson and Lemon whitethorn person hired the aforesaid lawyer, Bryan Freedman, who released 1 connection truthful acold astir Carlson successful May, saying that “the thought that anyone is going to soundlessness Tucker and forestall him from speaking to his assemblage is beyond preposterous.”

Fox News lone generated 1.42 cardinal mean primetime viewers, oregon a 37 percent driblet year-over-year, the numbers show. In the interim, a Fox News programme with a rotating formed of hosts, dubbed “Fox News Tonight,” has failed to make the aforesaid fig of viewers arsenic Carlson’s erstwhile amusement successful the 8 p.m. ET timeslot.

But the ratings amusement that MSNBC inactive drew less viewers successful primetime, averaging 1.16 cardinal viewers for a 14 percent summation year-over-year, according to Nielsen. CNN’s primetime viewership, meanwhile, has dropped 25 percent year-over-year to 494,000 mean viewers.

Weeks aft his departure, Carlson released a video announcing that helium would beryllium moving his erstwhile primetime amusement to Twitter. That announcement drew tens of millions of viewers and impressions.