Longtime “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd made an announcement on Sunday that he will leave the politics panel show in order to pay attention to other projects and his family, with NBC appointing Kristen Welker as his replacement.
Todd, who is now 51 years old, recently made it known to his audience that he will be shifting his priorities to avoid being consumed by work like his past colleagues. His final show is scheduled for later this year.
‘While today is not my final show, this is going to be my final summer here at Meet the Press,” Todd said. “I am really proud of what this team and I have built over the last decade.” Let’s get to know in detail who Todd is and why he left Meet the Press.
Why is Chuck Todd Leaving ‘Meet the Press’?
Chuck was named the moderator of Meet the Press in 2014 after serving as a political analyst on many other NBC series, including Morning Joe, Today, and NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt. He replaced David Gregory on the beloved newscast and held the lead hosting position for nine years.
Chuck shocked fans when he announced he was leaving Meet the Press to spend more time with his family.
“I’ve watched too many friends and family let work consume them before it was too late,” he said during a broadcast. “I promised my family I wouldn’t do that.”
The journalist and his wife, Kristian Denny, share two children: Margaret and Harrison. While Chuck clarified that prioritizing family time is his goal, he also assured viewers that he is not leaving NBC entirely. The TV host has plans to pursue other projects on the network.
“Among them, docuseries and docudramas focused on trying to bridge our divides and pierce political bubbles,” he continued. “So, while I may be leaving this chair, I’m still going to help NBC navigate and coach colleagues in this 2024 campaign season and beyond.”
Todd said he is leaving at a time when he is concerned about “this moment in history,” doubling down on the responsibility of political journalists to report the facts rather than build a brand.
“If you do this job seeking popularity, you are doing it incorrectly,” Todd said. “I take the attacks from partisans as compliments. And I take the genuine compliments with a grain of salt when they come from partisans.”
The flagship Sunday program did “not tolerate” propagandists and “never will,” he added.
“But it doesn’t mean sticking your head in the sand either; if you ignore reality, you’ll miss the biggest story,” Todd said.
Who is Replacing Chuck Todd?
Kristen Welker, NBC’s chief White House correspondent and a one-time NBC10 news anchor, will replace Chuck Todd as the famed Sunday roundtable’s moderator in September.
“I’ve watched too many friends and family let work consume them before it was too late,” Todd told viewers at the end of Sunday’s Meet the Press. “I promised my family I wouldn’t do that.”
It’s another step up the NBC News ladder for Welker, 46, who began covering the White House for NBC in 2011. She has reported on three administrators, co-hosted NBC’s weekend edition of the Today Show, and drew rave reviews for her performance during a 2020 presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with her from essentially her first day, and let me just say she’s the right person in the right moment,” Todd said of Welker. “This is exactly how I always hoped this would end—that I’d pass the baton to her.”
Real Estate Properties of Chuck Todd
Since the early days of his career, Todd has been growing his wealth meticulously by investing all his earnings in real estate. Today, he owns four villas in Virginia, two apartments in New York, and 500 acres of farmland where he grows grapes.
Todd has recently dropped an advance for another luxury house in Washington, DC. These real estate assets account for one-fourth of Chuck Todd’s net worth. In his final remarks Sunday, Todd said he was departing the show “feeling concerned about this moment in history.”
“We didn’t tolerate propagandists, and this network and program never will. But it doesn’t mean sticking your head in the sand either; if you ignore reality, you’ll miss the biggest story,” he said.
“Being a real political journalist isn’t about building a brand; it’s about reporting what’s happening, explaining why, and letting the public absorb the facts. If you do this job seeking popularity, you are doing this job incorrectly.”
