Peter Alexander’s New Chapter After 15 Years at NBC

Peter Alexander, a long‑time fixture on NBC’s weekend “Today” show and the network’s chief White House correspondent, has decided to step away from his role. He announced the change during a Saturday morning broadcast of “Today, ” letting viewers know that he will be leaving NBC News. For the past decade and a half, Alexander has juggled two demanding jobs. He spends weekdays in Washington covering the President and then flies to New York each Saturday for the “Today” show. His experience on the White House beat spans 15 years, and he has been a weekend anchor since 2018. Colleagues praised his work ethic and friendship across the newsroom. A memo from NBC’s Washington Bureau Chief highlighted Alexander’s trusted presence and thanked him for his contributions. In a heartfelt segment, he explained that he wants to spend more time with his two young children after missing over 200 Friday nights for weekend duties. Alexander has not revealed his next destination, but a new anchor slot is opening on MS NOW’s weekday 11 a. m. hour. The network, once a sister to NBC, has recently reshuffled its daytime lineup and will announce the new host later.During his career, Alexander has asked tough questions of presidents. In 2020, he questioned President Trump about the pandemic, prompting a sharp retort from the president. He has described working at a frantic pace through different administrations, noting how quickly news cycles shift. He first joined NBC in 2004, covering stories worldwide and in the U. S. He covered the 2012 Republican race before becoming a White House correspondent that same year. After a national reporting stint, he returned to the White House beat in 2017 and later shared chief correspondent duties with Kristen Welker. When Welker moved to “Meet the Press, ” Alexander became the sole chief White House correspondent while also co‑anchoring Saturday “Today. ” In recent months, he has expressed a desire for new challenges. However, with key positions already filled by colleagues such as Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin on “Today, ” and Tom Llamas on “NBC Nightly News, ” there are limited openings for him to move into a larger role within NBC. Other broadcasters have made similar moves. For example, Tom Llamas left ABC in 2021 to join NBC and eventually took over as anchor of “Nightly. ” MS NOW has added new hosts for its daytime shows, continuing a tradition of Washington‑focused programming. NBC will rely on various staffers to cover Alexander’s responsibilities temporarily while the network searches for a permanent replacement.