Chuck Todd, the former moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” is leaving the network after nearly two decades.
Todd thanked his longtime colleagues in an internal memo on Friday and announced that he has 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 said NBC is allowing him to move his twice-weekly podcast franchise, “The ChuckToddcast,” to a new distributor.
Todd was a prominent voice at NBC News for nearly a decade, covering Donald Trump’s political rise and the Democratic response. He oversaw “Meet the Press” from 2014 to 2023.
Todd was outspoken about the negative consequences of Trump-era lies and indecency, 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 striking message for a Washington audience full of elderly politicians. “I would 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 prominent part of political and election night coverage last November.
NBC News issued a statement on Friday, saying, “We are grateful for Chuck’s many contributions to our political coverage during his nearly two-decade career at NBC News, as well as his deep commitment to ‘Meet the Press’ and its enduring legacy. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Todd wrote in his memo, “The media has a lot of work to do to win back the trust of viewers/listeners/readers, and I am 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.”
