Chuck Todd said on Sunday that heB次元官网网址檒l be leaving B次元官网网址淢eet the PressB次元官网网址� after a tumultuous near-decade of , to be replaced in the coming months by Kristen Welker.
Todd, 51, told viewers that B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e watched too many friends and family let work consume them before it was too lateB次元官网网址� and that heB次元官网网址檇 promised his family he wouldnB次元官网网址檛 do that.
Todd has often been an online punching bag for critics, including Donald Trump, during a polarized time, and there were rumors that his time at the show would be short when its executive producer was reassigned at the end of last summer, but NBC gave no indication this was anything other than ToddB次元官网网址檚 decision. ItB次元官网网址檚 unclear when ToddB次元官网网址檚 last show will be, but he told viewers that this would be his final summer.
B次元官网网址淚 leave feeling concerned about this moment in history but reassured by the standards weB次元官网网址檝e set here,B次元官网网址� Todd said. B次元官网网址淲e , and this network and program never will.B次元官网网址�
Welker, a former chief White House correspondent, has been at NBC B次元官网网址 in Washington since 2011 and has been ToddB次元官网网址檚 chief fill-in for the past three years. She drew praise for between Trump, a Republican, and Joe Biden, a Democrat, in 2020.
Her B次元官网网址渟harp questioning of lawmakers is a masterclass in political interviews,B次元官网网址� said Rebecca Blumenstein, NBC B次元官网网址 president of editorial, in a memo announcing WelkerB次元官网网址檚 elevation on Sunday.
Now Welker, 46, will be thrust into what promises to be another contentious presidential election cycle.
The Sunday morning political interview show has aired since 1947, led by inventor and first host Martha Rountree. Its peak came in the years that Tim Russert moderated, from 1991 until his death in 2008, with its footing less certain since then. Tom Brokaw briefly filled in after RussertB次元官网网址檚 death, and David Gregory replaced him until being forced out in favor of Todd.
Welker will be the first Black moderator of B次元官网网址淢eet the PressB次元官网网址� and the first woman since Rountree left in 1953.
Todd said that he was proud of expanding the B次元官网网址淢eet the PressB次元官网网址� brand to a daily show, which initially aired on MSNBC but was shifted to streaming, along with podcasts and newsletters, even a film festival.
B次元官网网址淗e transformed the brand into a vital modern-day franchise, expanding its footprint to an array of new mediums, and kept B次元官网网址楳eet the PressB次元官网网址� at the forefront of political discourse,B次元官网网址� Blumenstein said.
It didnB次元官网网址檛 stop critics from jumping on to social media when they didnB次元官网网址檛 like an interview Todd conducted. Trump even anointed Todd with one of his signature nicknames, Sleepy Eyes, and later called on NBC to fire Todd in 2020 over its airing of a CBS interview clip with his then-Attorney General William Barr. Todd later said the show had been unaware at the time of a longer soundbite of the interview that would have provided more context, and he apologized for the mistake.
Todd was roasted at the White House CorrespondentsB次元官网网址� Association dinner in 2022 by Trevor Noah, who pointed him out in the audience and said, B次元官网网址淗ow are you doing? IB次元官网网址檇 ask a follow-up, but I know you donB次元官网网址檛 know what those are.B次元官网网址�
Todd alluded to his critics in announcing his exit on Sunday.
B次元官网网址淚f you do this job seeking popularity, you are doing this job incorrectly,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 take the attacks from partisans as compliments. And I take the genuine compliments with a grain of salt when they come from partisans.B次元官网网址�
The goal of each show, he said, is to B次元官网网址渕ake you mad, make you think, shake your head in disapproval at some point and nod your head in approval at others.B次元官网网址�
In the just-concluded television season, B次元官网网址淢eet the PressB次元官网网址� was third in viewers after CBSB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淔ace the NationB次元官网网址� and ABCB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淭his Week,B次元官网网址� each of them averaging between 2.5 million and 2.9 million viewers, the Nielsen ratings company said.
David Bauder, The Associated Press
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