Journalist and political analyst Chuck Todd is stepping down as moderator of NBC’s “Meet The Press” and will be replaced by Chief White House Correspondent and co-anchor Kristen Welker, the network announced on Sunday.
Todd announced his own departure at the start of Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” in which he said it wouldn’t be his last show but it would be his last summer with the program.
“While today is not my final show, this will be my final summer here at Meet the Press,” Todd said on the air Sunday. “I am really proud of what this team and I have built over the last decade.”
Todd, who has held the position since 2014, will be replaced by Welker who has been with the network since 2010, NBC News President of Editorial Rebecca Blumenstein and NBC News Senior Vice President of Politics Carrie Budoff Brown wrote to staff in a memo early Sunday.
Blumenstein and Brown said Welker is the “ideal journalist to build on the ‘Meet the Press’ legacy.”
The longest running political talk show in television history, “Meet The Press” has consistently served as a leading platform for politicians and policy makers to discuss the issues of the day.
Todd said during his decade at its helm, he believes he and his team answered whether “Meet the Press” still “has a place in the modern media space.”
Welker will take over for Todd this fall.
“Just as important, I’m also ready to take a step back because I know the person whom I’m passing the baton to is somebody who’s been ready for this for a while,” Todd said of Welker. “This is exactly how I always hoped this would end, that I’d be passing the baton to her.”
Welker said she was “humbled and grateful” for the opportunity.
“.@chucktodd has been a mentor and friends since my first day at @NBCNews,” Welker tweeted shortly after the announcement. “I’ve learned so much from sitting with him at the anchor desk and simply experiencing his passion for politics. I’m humbled and grateful to take the baton and continue to build on the legacy of @MeetThePress.”
Updated 10:38 a.m.