Chuck Todd Announces Surprise NBC News Exit Days After Jim Acosta's Departure from CNN amid Trump-Era Shakeup

Mar. 15, 2025

Moderator Chuck Todd appears on his final show as chair of “Meet the Press” in Washington, D.C. Sunday, Sep. 10, 2023.Photo:William B. Plowman/NBC via Getty

MEET THE PRESS – Pictured: Moderator Chuck Todd appears on his final show as chair of “Meet the Press” in Washington, D.C. Sunday, Sep. 10, 2023

William B. Plowman/NBC via Getty

There are changes coming to NBC News.

On Friday, Jan. 31, Chuck Todd announced his decision to leave the network after nearly two decades in a memo shared with NBC News staff. The news comes a year and a half afterhe exitedMeet the Pressfollowing a nine-year run.

“There’s never a perfect time to leave a place that’s been a professional home for so long,” Todd, 52, acknowledged, but added that he’s “pretty excited” about “a few new projects” that are in the works.

“I do plan to continue to share my reporting and unique perspective of covering politics with data and history as important baselines in understanding where we were, where we are and where we’re going,” he said, noting that he will still be working on his podcast,The Chuck Toddcast.

Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump, Moderator Chuck Todd in the first sit-down interview post RNC on July 23, 2016.Paul Zimmerman/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

MEET THE PRESS – Pictured: (l-r) – Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump, Moderator Chuck Todd in the first sit-down interview post RNC on July 23, 2016 airing on “Meet The Press” Sunday July 24, 2016. (

Paul Zimmerman/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

He called his tenure at NBC News, which he noted spanned “two decades and five presidents,” the “honor of a lifetime” as he reflected on the state of media today given the current political climate.

“The media has a lot of work to do to win back the trust of viewers/listeners/readers and I’m convinced the best place to start is from the bottom up,” he wrote, adding that this “is a ripe 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,” he continued. “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. People are craving community and that’s something national media or the major social media companies can’t do as well as local media. "

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) left, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) center, and moderator Chuck Todd, right, appear in a pre-taped interview on “Meet the Press” in Washington, D.C., Friday, January 6, 2017.William B. Plowman/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) left, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) center, and moderator Chuck Todd, right, appear in a pre-taped interview on “Meet the Press” in Washington, D.C., Friday, January 6, 2017. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) left, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) center, and moderator Chuck Todd, right, appear in a pre-taped interview on “Meet the Press” in Washington, D.C., Friday, January 6, 2017.

William B. Plowman/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty

Todd’s departure from NBC News comes just days after fellow tenured news anchorJim Acosta announced his sudden exit from CNNafter 18 years.

“You may have seen some reports about me and the show, and after giving all of this some careful consideration and [after] weighing alternative time slots CNN offered me, I’ve decided to move on,” Acosta, 53, said during his morning broadcast on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

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His exit reportedly resulted from a clash between Acosta and network heads over a decision to move his show to a midnight time slot, which would have lowered his opportunity for viewership, sources toldThe New York Times.

According to the outlet, Acosta was opposed to the idea of the move, and wondered whether the network’s reorganization of its lineup was part of a move to sideline journalists that had been critical of PresidentDonald Trumpin the past. The network planned to move CNN anchorsWolf Blitzerand Pamela Brown into Acosta’s slot.

source: people.com