Peter Alexander is signing off NBC News after more than two decades. The announcement was made on-air during Saturday “TODAY,” which Alexander has hosted since 2018. Watch the live moment in the video above.
Grateful for his time at the network and to all the people he worked with along the way, Alexander cited family as his primary reason for stepping back. Despite working in New York, Alexander lives Washington, making it difficult to spend time with his children. “In this limited window before my daughters lose interest in hanging out with me, I’m eager to carve out a better balance between mv personal and professional lives,” he said in a statement.
Alexander has been with NBC News since 2004, traveling internationally to cover everything from the 2005 Iraq election to the 2011 death of Osama bin Laden. He joined Saturday “TODAY” in 2018, eventually becoming co-anchor opposite Kristen Welker in 2020. The duo was also named as NBC News’ co-chief White House correspondents in 2021. Welker left Saturday “TODAY” in 2023 to become the new moderator of “Meet the Press,” at which point former NBC senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett joined Alexander at the Saturday “TODAY” desk.
“Peter: We love you, we are going to miss you,” Jarrett said of her co-anchor. “You are a brilliant journalist. You are a good and decent man, and you are an extraordinary father. You only get one shot to be Ava and Emma’s dad…they are lucky to have you as their father.”
Peter Alexander says goodbye to NBC News
Read Peter Alexander’s full statement below:
“I have had the most incredible experience over 22 years with NBC News — from Baghdad to Banda Aceh, Burbank to Beijing — always alongside the best, most professional and most dedicated journalists in the business,” Alexander said. “I could not be more grateful for every one of them and for the leaders and mentors here who have believed in me and given me more opportunities than I ever dreamed of.”
He continues: “And, of course, I’m grateful to you for welcoming me into your homes for all these years. It’s hard to believe, but I have been part of the NBC family for longer than I’ve had my own family,” Alexander’s statement continued. “Studio IA — being right here, with this team and with all the folks you don’t see on TV — this is my happy place. It’s so fun! I mean, what a gig!”
“But because I live in Washington, it’s also a trek,” Alexander concludes. “I’ve been away from home more than 80 nights in the last seven months — more than 200 Friday nights away from home in the last seven years,” Alexander added. “So, in this limited window before my daughters lose interest in hanging out with me, I’m eager to carve out a better balance between mv personal and professional lives — and to challenge myself with something new. I’m excited, as I was taught family first, the rest is details. So I just want to be very clear, thank you for your trust and your confidence, and most of all, thank you to NBC News, what for what have been, undoubtedly, the most exciting years of my life.”
Will you miss watching Alexander on Saturday “TODAY”? Drop a comment with your thoughts on his departure below.