Chuck Todd, the NBC journalist and former host of Meet the Press who was a key figure in pushing the network not to hire a prominent Republican operative last year, said on Friday he is leaving NBC News.
“There’s never a perfect time to leave a place that’s been a professional home for so long, but I’m pretty excited about a few new projects that are on the cusp of going from ‘pie in the sky’ to ‘near reality,’” Todd said in a memo to staffers. “So I’m grateful for the chance to get a jump start on my next chapter during this important moment.”
Todd joined NBC in 2007 as its political director and became the chief White House correspondent just a year later. In 2014, he took over as host of Meet the Press and became a key figure on the Sunday morning talk show circuit of political leaders. He stepped down in 2023 and was succeeded by Kristen Welker.
Last year Todd played a major role in pushing back against NBC’s decision to hire Ronna McDaniel, the former Republican National Committee chair. The network quickly reversed the hiring after intense backlash, but many began to question Todd’s future with NBC after the pushback.
Todd said his podcast, Chuck ToddCast, would continue in future but from a new home.
“The media has a lot of work to do to win back the trust of viewers/listeners/readers and I’m convinced the best place to start is from the bottom up,” he said in his statement. “At my core, I’m an entrepreneur – I spent my first 15 years professionally working for the company that started the political newsletter craze that dominates today. And this is a ripe moment.”
NBC said: “We’re grateful for Chuck’s many contributions to our political coverage during his nearly two-decade career at NBC News and for his deep commitment to Meet the Press and its enduring legacy. We wish him all the best in his next endeavors.”
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