Why is Peter Alexander leaving NBC? Exit explored as Today co anchor leaves network

Peter Alexander has announced his exit.

He informed viewers during the March 28 broadcast that after twenty-two years with NBC and missing more than two hundred Friday nights at home over the last seven years, he's ready to prioritize his family life.

"This morning I am bursting with pride and with gratitude. I've had the most incredible experience over 22 years with NBC News," Alexander said.

"I could not be more grateful for … the leaders and mentors here who have believed in me and given me more opportunities than I ever dreamed of."

The forty-nine-year old anchor, who took over as Saturday Today cohost in 2018, made it clear that the job itself has been amazing but the time away from home has become unsustainable. Peter Alexander, shares two daughters, Ava and Emma his wife Alison Starling.

"It is literally so fun, I mean, what a gig!" he said.

"But, because I live in Washington [D.C.], it's also a trek. I've been away from my home more than 80 nights in the last seven months, [and] more than 200 Friday nights away from my family in the last seven years."

As per a report shared by Us Weekly, Peter Alexander wants to make the most of the limited time he has left before his daughters lose interest in spending time with him.

Peter Alexander reflects on his years at NBC as Laura Jarrett gets emotional over his departure

Peter Alexander used his final Saturday morning show to express how grateful he is for everything NBC News has given him throughout his career. As per the report shared by Us Weekly, Alexander told viewers that the network provided him with "undoubtedly the most exciting years" he's had working in television. Laura Jarrett, his Saturday Today cohost, couldn't hold back her emotions while addressing Alexander's exit.

"Peter, we love you, we are going to miss you," Jarrett said.

"We have laughed so hard we want to cry with you, we have learned from you and we are not the only ones," she added.

She went on to talk about Alexander's talents as a journalist and his dedication to his family.

"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 [and] 200 nights is a long time. They are lucky to have you as their father," Jarrett added.

Peter Alexander joined NBC in 2004, which means he celebrated twenty years with the network in 2024. He got emotional during his closing remarks on Saturday and shared what NBC has meant to him personally.

"It's hard to believe, but I have been part of the NBC family for longer than I've had my own family," he said.

"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," he added.

Peter Alexander's next move remains unclear but MS NOW's slot could be a possibility:

As per a report shared by The Hollywood Reporter, nobody knows for certain what Peter Alexander will do next, but some people in television think he might take over the 11 a.m. hour on MS NOW. The time slot was kept empty when NBC made changes to their programming last week.

Peter Alexander spent years as part of the White House press corps and happened to be there on January 6, 2021 when rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol. He gave an interview to The Hollywood Reporter the day after and opened up about what he went through.

"When I walked out yesterday, I put my mask on my face, my bag over my shoulder, I have my security guy with me and put my head down because as a correspondent who covers the White House, we knew not to make eye contact with these folks who were, as they indicated, out to get folks," Peter Alexander said.

Alexander described the hostile crowd he had to walk through to leave the building.

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"As I marched through them, they were yelling 'stop the steal!, stop the f-ing steal!' and repeating this language that they have been marinating in from the president, and from different parts of the media universe," he added.

NBC will announce who's replacing Alexander on Saturday Today at some point soon, and different anchors from NBC News will rotate through the cohost spot until then.

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