Beloved, Longtime NBC News Correspondent Retiring After 32 Years

By Daniel S. Levine

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NBC News journalist Kerry Sanders announced plans to retire after 32 years at the network. Sanders was celebrated on The Today Show Tuesday morning, with a look back at a career that took him to all 50 states and all seven continents. Sanders traveled around the world for NBC but is best known for his work in his home state of Florida.

"I think that I can't believe that I had this amazing opportunity to join this family," Sanders told his Today colleagues. "I still pinch myself to think that you all welcomed me and that I was a part of this. It's been a dream come true."

Sanders started his broadcasting career in Florida, working at numerous local affiliates throughout the Sunshine State. He joined NBC News in 1991 and became a correspondent based at the NBC Miami bureau in 1996. His reporting earned Peabody and Emmy awards.

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On Today, Sanders reflected on his coverage of the Iraq War. "I will say that I was scared in the war," he said. "I went to many conflicts, but probably when I was embedded with the Marines, 2d Battalion 8th Marines. I'm here today because they saved my life and my crew every day, in many cases. If you take the six, seven weeks that we were together, I lost 17 pounds, and that was worry weight. I burned it right off."

Whenever there was a major story in Florida attracting national headlines, Sanders was on the ground for NBC. He covered Trayvon Martin's death, the school shooting in Parkland, and Casey Anthony's trial. He covered the vote-counting controversy during the 2000 presidential election and over 100 named storms.

Since Sanders traveled so much during his career, he's looking forward to spending time at home during his retirement. He traveled about 200 days a year for work. When he was home for long stretches of time during the pandemic, Sanders and his wife Deborah realized that "we do really good together all the time, so maybe that's what we should do now."

Still, he plans to finally use all the frequent flier miles he racked up for vacations without a full camera crew. "I can still go diving, I can still go out and do that," he said on Today. "What will I miss most? Ultimately, it's the camaraderie and the family, because this is a daily, high-energy experience."

After the broadcast, Al Roker shared his own memories of working with Sanders on Instagram. "I cannot even begin to tell you how much I am going to miss [Sanders] for his wit, grace, curiosity, drive, honesty, and versatility. Truly [one] of a kind," Roker wrote. "Here's to the next chapter for you and your dear wife, Deborah."

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