Savannah Guthrie announces return to ‘TODAY’ show
Savannah Guthrie said she will return to NBC’s “TODAY” on April 6 as the search for her missing mother continues.
Peter Alexander gets approval.
The 49-year-old NBC News chief White House correspondent and co-host of Saturday’s “Today” show is leaving the network after 22 years.
Alexander shared the news in an emotional segment on “Today” on Saturday, March 28th. He said he made the decision to spend more time with his family, noting that he lives in Washington, D.C., a “trek” from the “Today” show studios in New York City.
“I’ve been away from home more than 80 nights in the last seven months, and I’ve been away from my family more than 220 Friday nights in the last seven years,” Alexander said. “So, in this limited time, I would like to create a better balance between my personal and professional life and try something new before my daughters lose interest in playing with me.”
He continued, “I’m excited. Just like I was taught, my family comes first and the rest is the details.”
Alexander joined NBC News in 2004 and was selected to anchor the Saturday edition of the “Today” show in 2018.
As a White House correspondent for NBC News, Alexander has covered the presidencies of Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Donald Trump. At a White House press conference in March 2020, Trump called Alexander a “terrible reporter” after a reporter asked whether the president was giving Americans a “false sense of hope” by trying to “put a positive spin on things” during the coronavirus pandemic.
In the March 28 segment announcing the news, Alexander’s Today colleagues became emotional over his resignation. Anchor Laura Jarrett praised Alexander as an “excellent journalist,” “a good, decent human being” and “an extraordinary father,” and said she supported his decision to prioritize his family. “You only get one chance to be a father to Eva and Emma,” she says.
Alexander also said he spoke about his decision with Savannah Guthrie, who recently announced she would return to “Today” on April 6 after a two-month absence due to the disappearance of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie.
“I also had the opportunity to exchange messages with my dear friend Savannah. I’m excited to have her back here. We will continue to pray for her,” he said.
Alexander is the latest TV anchor to announce major changes to his on-air duties, citing a desire to spend more time with his children. Anderson Cooper announced in February that he was leaving CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” where he was a correspondent in addition to his work at CNN.
“For nearly 20 years, I’ve been juggling my jobs at CNN and CBS, but now that I have young children, I want to spend as much time as possible with them while they still want to spend time with me,” Cooper said.
