‘Meet the Press’ Moderator Chuck Todd Announces Exit – Viewers React

Longtime Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd announced Sunday he is stepping down after nine years at the helm of NBC’s Sunday morning talk show.

Kristen Welker, the network’s co-chief White House correspondent and regular fill-in on the program, will take his place, NBC brass said in a memo to staff.

At the end of Sunday’s broadcast, Todd told viewers he will be leaving the political program in September.

“While today is not my final show, this will be my final summer here at Meet the Press,” he said.

Today we close our show with an announcement from @chucktodd:

"While today is not my final show, this will be my final summer here at Meet the Press. … I am really proud of what this team and I have built over the last decade." pic.twitter.com/sgeUcNR3C5

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 4, 2023

The veteran journalist added that he loved the job and was proud to have been part of MTP‘s expansion.

“We’ve taken Meet the Press from a single Sunday show to a distinct and important political franchise,” he said, noting that the franchise now includes a daily cable show, newsletters, podcasts and a film festival.

Todd plans to spend more time with his family, and said he no longer wants work to “consume” his life.

“I’d rather leave a little bit too soon, than stay a tad bit too long,” he explained.

Related Story: Don Lemon Has ‘No Regrets’ After CNN Exit

He then praised Welker and called her the “right person” for the job.

“I know the person whom I’m passing the baton to is somebody who’s been ready for this for a long time — Kristen Welker,” he said.

Over the years, Todd has drawn criticism from both the left and the right. The video announcing his exit, drew more than 1,800 replies on Twitter.

“Please put someone in the chair that will ask proper follow up questions and hold gaslighting accountable consistently,” one viewer wrote.

“How very on-brand of Todd to lead by touting the commercial expansion of the show. Much like my recent relationship to MTP, I got through the first 30 seconds of this clip before I turned it off,” another person shared.

“Nice. Maybe I’ll start watching Meet the Press come autumn,” someone else wrote.

But many other viewers praised Todd, with some saying they were sad to see him go.

“God Bless and Godspeed. Family is everything,” one viewer replied.

“I never understood the negativity tossed Chuck’s way. He has a tough job straddling the political line and some of his harshest critics never had the task he has. Is he perfect, no but compared to many in the MSM, he’s an honorable presenter of issues, I wish Chuck well!” another person wrote.

“To everyone who has been critical of Chuck we can “thank” Fox for distorting what good journalism is. It’s not a safe space for what you think. It’s reporting the truth. And sometimes that means hearing things you don’t want to hear,” added podcast host Steve Marinucci.

Meet the Press celebrated its 75th anniversary last year. Todd is the 12th moderator of the program, per NBC. He joined the network in 2007 and has hosted the program since 2014, succeeding David Gregory.

Todd, 51, plans to take on a new role as chief political analyst at NBC, and will contribute to the network’s coverage of the 2024 presidential election.

In their memo to staff, NBC News president of editorial, Rebecca Blumenstein, and NBC News senior vice president of politics Carrie Budoff Brown, praised Todd’s “thoughtful and passionate leadership.”

“Meet the Press has sustained its historic role as the indispensable news program on Sunday mornings,” Blumenstein and Budoff Brown said. “Through his penetrating interviews with many of the most important newsmakers, the show has played an essential role in politics and policy, routinely made front-page news, and framed the thinking in Washington and beyond.”