Chuck Todd’s time at NBC News is done

TV news is going through a bit of a recalibration. (Can’t imagine why.) Earlier this week, CNN’s Jim Acosta announced he would part ways with the network after they tried to move him to a very late night slot. That was amid the network’s other various layoffs and new ideas for old apps. But the shakeups are hardly limited to CNN. This morning, NBC’s Chuck Todd announced he would be stepping away from NBC News, effective today. Earlier this month it was reported that Todd was pursuing other opportunities than at the network, but it happened “a little earlier than originally planned,” he said on his podcast, per The Hollywood Reporter. 

“Today is my last day at NBC. I started as political director in 2007, a month before my son was born and he’ll be graduating high school in a few months. So I guess this means I’ve been here a while,” Todd wrote in a note obtained by the outlet. After joining the network, Todd served as moderator of Meet The Press from 2014 until 2023. Last year, he objected on-air to the hiring of former RNC chief Ronna McDaniel as an NBC News contributor. In that battle, he got his way. 

In his goodbye note, Todd takes aim at the obvious myriad issues with the news industry at the moment. “The only way to fix this information eco system 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. National media can’t win trust back without having a robust partner locally and trying to game algorithms is no way to inform and report.” 

Todd also warns against “propaganda,” but stops short of suggesting anyone is a dictator à la Acosta. “Being a real political journalist isn’t about building a brand, it’s about reporting what’s happening and explaining why it’s happening and letting the public absorb the facts without judging them for coming to a different conclusion,” he continues. That all being said, he’s taking his ChuckToddcast podcast with him when he leaves.