Peter Alexander, a prominent and diligent TV-news correspondent, has decided to depart from NBC News, a place he has called home for many years. He made the announcement during a Saturday morning segment of “Today.”
Throughout his tenure, Alexander has managed the demanding task of co-anchoring the Saturday edition of “Today” while also holding the position of NBC News’ chief White House correspondent. This role required him to juggle responsibilities in Washington during the week before heading to New York City to fulfill his duties on “Today.” His career includes 15 years covering the White House and weekends on “Today” since 2018.
“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,” stated Chloe Arensberg, NBC News’ Washington Bureau Chief, along with Matt Carluccio, the executive producer of weekend “Today” broadcasts, in a memo to NBC staff. They expressed gratitude for his contributions and wished him well. During an emotional moment on Saturday, Alexander shared that he wishes to spend more time with his two young children, having missed over 200 Friday nights due to his weekend responsibilities.
Alexander has not disclosed his future plans, though MS NOW has an available anchor position for its 11 a.m. weekday slot. The network, supported by Versant and previously affiliated with NBC News, has recently revamped its daytime lineup but has not announced a host for the 11 a.m. hour, indicating that further information will be provided later.
Alexander gained recognition for posing sensible questions to President Trump that often drew unexpected reactions. During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, Alexander asked Trump, then in his first term, “What do you say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared?” Trump responded, “I say that you’re a terrible reporter!”
In a 2022 interview with Variety, Alexander noted the fast-paced nature of his work across various administrations. Reflecting on the Trump White House, he described experiencing a “24-hour news cycle every 24 minutes.” Under President Biden, he continued to face a high volume of information, recalling an early initiative requiring a 45-minute background call for reporters. “I could have given you 25 pages on it,” he remarked.
Alexander started with NBC News in 2004, reporting on stories worldwide and in the U.S. He covered the Republican presidential race in 2012 before being appointed as a White House correspondent that same year. After serving as a national correspondent from 2014 to 2016, he returned to the White House in 2017 and was named co-chief White House correspondent alongside Kristen Welker. He maintained these duties while co-anchoring Saturday “Today” and became the sole chief White House correspondent when Welker moved to moderate “Meet the Press.”
In recent months, Alexander has expressed interest in new opportunities. However, with Welker doing well on “Meet the Press” and Savannah Guthrie, Craig Melvin, and Tom Llamas secure in their roles on “Today” and “NBC Nightly News,” there were limited high-profile positions available for him.
Similar career transitions have occurred in TV news. Tom Llamas, previously the weekend anchor for ABC’s “World News Tonight,” left ABC News in January 2021 due to David Muir’s strong hold on weekday anchor duties. Llamas joined NBC News and later succeeded Lester Holt on “Nightly.”
While MS NOW has recently introduced new two-hour daytime slots for Stephanie Ruhle and Alicia Menendez, it has a legacy of offering a one-hour show focused on Washington, D.C. events. Andrea Mitchell hosted such a program when the network was known as MSNBC for nearly two decades.
NBC News plans to utilize various staff members to fill Alexander’s positions temporarily.
