Chuck Todd, the longtime moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” is departing the network after nearly two decades.
Todd congratulated his longstanding colleagues in an internal message on Friday and announced that he had a “few new projects” in the works, indicating a desire for a more entrepreneurial phase in his career. As a result, he announced his departure from the network several months before his contract with NBC expires.
Todd claimed NBC is enabling him to move his twice-weekly podcast series, “The ChuckToddcast,” to a new distributor.
Todd was a prominent voice at NBC News for nearly a decade, covering Donald Trump’s electoral rise and the Democratic response. He oversaw “Meet the Press” from 2014 to 2023.
Todd was outspoken about the negative consequences of Trump-era lying and obscenity, and he was mocked by Trump and others for it.
Todd left “Meet the Press” in 2023 due to a management change at NBC News, and Kristen Welker replaced him.
Todd said it was critical not to “overstay” his welcome, a stunning warning for a Washington audience full of older politicians. “I’d rather leave a little bit too soon than stay a tad too long,” he told me.
Todd’s air time has decreased in recent years, but he remained a significant element of political and election night coverage last November.
NBC News issued a statement on Friday, saying, “We’re grateful for Chuck’s many contributions to our political coverage during his nearly two-decade tenure at NBC News, as well as his profound commitment to ‘Meet the Press’ and its enduring history. We wish him the best in his future undertakings.”
Todd wrote in his email, “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,” referring to local media rather than national.
“This is a ripe moment,” he added. “The only way to fix this information ecosystem is to stop whining about the various ways the social media companies are manipulating things and instead roll up our collective sleeves and start with local.”
