Chuck Todd announced Friday that he will leave his role as NBC’s chief political analyst to “pursue ventures outside” the network.
The former Meet the Press moderator—and an NBC mainstay for nearly 20 years whose past roles also included serving as the network’s chief White House correspondent—has reportedly already been talking with other media organizations as he explores his next steps, reports Variety. He appears interested in the new digital media landscape.
Todd interviewed President Trump multiple times over the years, becoming a favorite subject of attack (or at least one of many) and earning his very own nickname: “Sleepy eyes.”
Trump’s grievances against Todd on social media date as far back as 2011.
Kristen Welker replaced Todd on Meet the Press in 2023, and has come to have a surprisingly cordial relationship with President Trump.
Todd told colleagues in a memo Friday announcing his departure that he wants to use his entrepreneurial spirit to “fix this information eco system” and wants journalists to “stop whining about the various ways the social media companies are manipulating things.”
One of Todd’s most iconic moments on Meet the Press came in 2017 shortly after Trump’s first inauguration. Addressing the widely-mocked statements made by Trump’s then-Press Secretary about the size of Trump’s inaugural crowds, Kellyanne Conway argued that Spicer had provided “alternative facts.”
Todd quickly interrupted Conway to say, “Look, alternative facts are not facts. They’re falsehoods.” The clash was a media sensation.
NBC wished Todd “all the best in his next endeavors.”
