Peter Alexander, NBC News‘ chief White House correspondent and co-host of Today on Saturdays, said that he is departing the network.
Alexander, who has been with the network for 22 years, cited personal reasons, but sources say that he is expected to join MS NOW, which formerly was NBC News’ sister network.
On Today, Alexander called the show “literally my happy place,” but talked of the demands of trekking each Friday evening from his home in the Washington area to New York for the Saturday show.
“I’ve been away from home more than 80 nights in the last seven months, more than 220 Friday nights, 220 Fridays nights away from my family in the last seven years,” Alexander told viewers on Saturday. “So it’s a limited window before my daughters lose interest in hanging out with me. It’s happened quick. I’m eager to carve out a better balance bwteen my personal and professional lives and to challenge myself with something new.”
An MS NOW spokesperson declined to comment. The network recently announced an overhaul of its daytime schedule, with an 11 a.m. anchor slot still unfilled.
MS NOW has been building its own newsroom since the split.
Chloe Arensberg, senior vice president and Washington bureau chief, and Matt Carluccio, executive producer of Today, said in a memo, “Peter has been a trusted presence with great range across NBC News, and a friend to so many across the Washington Bureau, Today and the broader NBC News team.
We are grateful for all his contributions and wish him the best.”
Alexander has been Saturday Today co-host since 2018, and served as co-chief White House correspondent along with Kristen Welker starting in 2021. He later became sole chief White House correspondent when Welker departed to become moderator of Meet the Press.
The Los Angeles Times first reported on Alexander’s plans to join MS NOW.
More to come.