Chuck Todd Bids Farewell To Meet The Press: 'This Is Something My Younger Self Never Imagined'

By Claire Franken
Chuck Todd Leaving Meet the Press Courtesy of William B. Plowman/NBC

NBC's Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd has ended his run.

"After nine years and more than 430 broadcasts, today is my final Sunday in the moderator chair," he said at the top of the hour. "To say that this has been the honor and privilege of my lifetime is an understatement."

"This is simply the pinnacle of political journalism and something my younger self never imagined," he continued. "No matter how much of a grind the current political climate is, wearing me down on any given day, I still always have had a pinch-me-I-can't-believe-it feeling every time I hear my name introduced as the moderator of the longest running show in the history of television."

He ended his parting statement with a joke, saying his goal was always to avoid being the last moderator of the longest running show in American history.

"I've achieved that goal," he said. "And then some. I look forward to passing the baton in about 57 minutes."

Todd will be replaced by Weekend Today's Kristen Welker.

Welker, joined NBC News in 2010. She's covered the last three presidential elections and moderated the final 2020 debate between former president Donald Trump and current president Joe Biden. She was named co-host of Weekend Today in 2020.

When Todd announced his departure on-air in June, he called Welker "the right person" to take over the job. He said this is how he "hoped this would end for me, passing the baton to her."

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