‘Today’ Show Host Quits

As TODAY prepares to welcome back Savannah Guthrie, the morning talk show will be saying goodbye to another anchor.

Peter Alexander is stepping down as co-host of Saturday TODAY.

Alexander, who is leaving NBC News after 22 years at the network, announced his departure on-air on Saturday. He revealed he wants to spend more time with his two daughters, Ava, 12, and Emma, 10, and “challenge himself with something new.” While Saturday TODAY broadcasts from 30 Rock’s Studio 1A in New York City, Alexander, his wife, Alison Starling, and their daughters are based in Washington, D.C.

“I’ve been away from home more than 80 nights in the last seven months. More than 200 Friday nights away from my family in the last seven years,” said Alexander. “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 my personal and professional lives.”

After joining NBC News in 2004, he had his big break with an interview with then-Cuban President Fidel Castro. Alexander went on to report more international news, such as Iraq’s 2005 election and the death of Osama bin Laden. He’s traveled around the world for work, including Baghdad, Beijing, and more.

Alexander joined Saturday TODAY in 2018 and was named NBC’s co-chief White House correspondent alongside Kristen Welker in 2021. The two hosted Saturday TODAY from 2020 to 2023, until Welker replaced Chuck Todd as moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press. Since then, Alexander has hosted Saturday TODAY with Laura Jarrett, who joined NBC in January 2023 as a senior legal correspondent.

“Peter: We love you, we are going to miss you,” Jarrett said of her co-anchor’s departure. “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.”

“It’s hard to believe, but I have been part of the NBC family for longer than I’ve had my own family,” Alexander said during his farewell. “Studio 1A, being right here, with this team and with all the folks you don’t see on TV, this is literally my happy place.”

As of now, Alexander’s replacement has not been announced, but fans should expect someone new to join Jarrett on Saturdays very soon.