BREAKING: Chuck Todd announces his departure from Meet the Press. Will “pass the baton” to Kristen Welker in September

He was awful.

Finally!!!

He's doing it "to spend more time with his family and focus on long-term projects," such as completing his undergraduate degree.

What happened?

I wonder if NBC News execs who are witnessing the implosion of CNN for going MAGA are like, "Oh, shit, Chuck Todd's barely concealed Republicanism is going to do us in after all. Abort!!"

He was poor as an MTP host. Dave Gregory level poor.

MTP has been a disaster since Tim Russert died, and even then it was a bastion of both-siderism. I like Welker, but I can think of a half-dozen people at NBC who they should have replaced Chuckles with: Nicole Wallace, Rachel Maddow, hell, I'd even consider Steve Kornacki. But none of them would ever get the nod because Republicans would refuse to speak to anyone who asks them a tough question.

I like him. His podcasts are very good.

BREAKING: He'll be announcing his Twitter Spaces show later today on Twitter with Elon Musk, except don't tume in because Twitter will crash. :)

So is this voluntary or is Chuckie being pushed out? After all this time, you’d think he would’ve at least stayed until after the 2024 election.

Since he is staying on until September, I'd have to guess it was voluntary as otherwise he'd have said his goodbyes and be gone.

[quote]He's doing it "to spend more time with his...

Food...

Fat ass can't wait to be morbidly obese again

I agree, R10.

Good riddance to UpChuck Toad!

A lot of the anti-Todd sentiment in these pages must be because he’s not as overtly partisan as if he were a MSNBC nighttime host. But that’s not his role. And anybody who thinks he’s a conservative is very much uninformed.

What I object to is his refusal to pin down a guest when they make easily refuted statements.

R or D, he rarely held their feet to the fire for obvious partisan rhetoric.

Like anyone was watching to begin with.

^ Agree, R15

It was never about partisanship...Chuck Todd has no integrity, jornalistic or otherwise.

The show should return to its roots, where it was a panel of serious journalists grillling the guest.

Doesn’t sound voluntary

I realized during the Trump admin that all the Sunday morning shows are useful only for government propaganda.

They bring on a White House or federal agency spokesperson or a congressperson.

They ask the person seemingly tough questions but the person doesn't address the questions except when they spin the question to attack opponents. Otherwise, they force their talking points through and then the host moves on to someone else.

They are never successful.

I appreciate that Margaret Brennan will confrontationally ask the same important question three or four times and then say "it's clear you are not going to answer the question, we'll move on" because it at least brings to the viewers' attention that the person is bullshitting, but ultimately it still only gives every interviewee a platform to disseminate talking points they want to get out.

These shows never get 'scoops' and interviewing people with political agendas is no kind of research. It is literally a machine for governmental propaganda and for politicians to advertise themselves at no cost.

^ It does sound voluntary.

It sounds voluntary to me.

It's definitely voluntary.

No one who was fired ever claimed to be leaving to spend more time with their family or to focus on long-term projects.

Ever.

It's never happened.

He was hard to look at

Kristen Welker’s voice reminds me of a horny old cougar.

He thought his baldbangs 'do would catch on like Trump's haircut did.

Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation does a good job of exposing the liars and hypocrites.

I'm not sure Kristen is the correct one to replace him, but at least he's off. After all the baby-hoopla, Kristen's gay husband must be watching the little tyke while she works her ass off.

Yikes, R28!

I think CNN's Erin Burnett would do a great job as host.

I enjoy Meet The Press. I must be insane.

[quote]A lot of the anti-Todd sentiment in these pages must be because he’s not as overtly partisan as if he were a MSNBC nighttime host. But that’s not his role. And anybody who thinks he’s a conservative is very much uninformed.

r14, He said Hillary was "too prepared" for the debates.

R28 - holy crap he looks almost as gay as Michele Bachmann's husband Marcus

A lotta judgment from one still photo.

He must have one great contract if it took Rashida this long to ease him down the road.

And the erasure of white men on MSNBC continues, thanks to Rashida "Woke" Jones.

Larry O'Donnell and Chris Hayes, you in danger, boys!

Too bad they can't go full-hog and just let Rachel Maddow host MTP permanently.

Then again, the Trump presidency totally fried her brain. She went from sassy and extremely detailed to an utter disgrace. A total wingnut, raving about the latest cheesy conspiracy for nothing.

She spent years building a podcast series about the forgotten crimes of Spiro Agnew. She did the research, assembled witnesses from that era, built a narrative, etc. It would've been a star as a Netflix miniseries. But then Trump came along, and she had to clumsily shoehorn in some nonexistent ties between Agnew's corruption and Trump's.

R36, Lawrence, Chris and Ari.

It's a good mix of white guys.

R14 = Chuck Todd

Rethugs would've never agreed to appear on MTP ever again if Maddow was host. Kristen is a safe choice a la Martha Raddatz on ABC, who virtually never pushes back on their lies and instead just moves on to the next subject.

[quote]She went from sassy and extremely detailed to an utter disgrace. A total wingnut, raving about the latest cheesy conspiracy for nothing.

Do you smell burnt toast, r37?

R14, but he IS partisan. Drilling Democrats on followup questions while letting Republicans skate on talking points answers is infuriating.

Good riddance.

Good riddance! I’m sure Fox News will hire that fat ass.

Worst fucking clown on Sunday news shows. Tim Russert would have never put up with the bullshit that Chuck Todd did. Politicians RAN RIGHT OVER HIM. Chuck Todd did a disservice (every week) to both journalism and Democracy. He should have been tossed within weeks of replacing Russert.

FUCK CHUCK TODD. I hope he completely disappears. Worst fucking "journalist" to ever land in front of a news camera. I fucking hate that clown.

He’s staying with NBC News, going back to the role he he prior to this role… chief political correspondent or whatever.

A nice gig, but he’s likely permanently out of a seriously high-paying gig.

R44 Journalists never fully disappear.

Isn't Geraldo Rivera still hanging around somewhere?

The Sunday show format is no longer useful in today's media environment. Every congressperson invited on has been trained to strictly adhere to their talking points, and to filibuster if challenged.

Tim Russert always came prepared with past quotes and soundbites to "catch" guests in lies. It doesn't work anymore. Even if confronted today with their own past words, most guests today would simply ignore it and move on with their talking points.

Fuck Chuck Todd!

I liked David Gregory more than Tim Russert.

I couldn't tolerate Chuck Todd. I stopped watching years ago and never went back. Chuck Todd was dreadful.

NBC doesn't hate Chuck Todd enough. He will remain with NBC as a political analyst.

I remember when Chuck Todd and Savannah Guthrie hosted the 6am morning show on MSNBC--long before Morning Joe. Couldn't stand Todd or Guthrie from way back. They are awful.

HALLELUJAAAAH!!! I’ve been waiting for this day. Maybe I’ll start watching again. I DESPISED Chuck Todd’s non follow up ugly ass!

AGREE r44!!!

Fuck Tuck Choad.!

At Last!

MTP and NBC can’t be MSNBC. They are not the anti-Fox Network. I agree he could have been tougher but if you say he never challenged anyone and never asked tough questions, you weren’t watching very carefully. Neither he nor his successor can go full on against the Repugs or they are doomed. No “legacy” news show should be a shill for any political side. Leave that to NewsMax. I like Chuck.

Fuck Chuck Todd - that spineless douchebag facilitated the take-down of democracy.

Good riddance you spineless piece of shit.

R58 Fuck you! Chuck Todd was a pansy ever fucking week. Never did a tough interview or followed up with a significant question.

Tim Russert would have beat the shit out of him had he known what a piss poor job Chuck did to deep six MTP

Fuck Chuck Todd

R57 is a fucking idiot

Supposedly, NBC News wouldn't give him tome off to recover from a Brazilian butt lift.

Maybe CNN offered him the newly available CEO role...

FUCK this guy. Chuck Todd is a disgrace! He should have been tossed YEARS AGO. He LITERALLY harmed democracy weekly.

This thread allows no discussion or dissenters. It is an example of where we are now.

R64 Fuck You 😆

Come on - it's just a fact. Chuck Todd did far more harm than good while in his position. The US is worse off because of him (you can draw a straight line between his incompetence and the fall of journalism and democracy.

It really can’t be more than one or two people here who are (re-)posting with their wildly over-the-top Chuck Todd hatred. Blaming him, in effect for “the fall of journalism and democracy.” MARY!!!

Chuck was so bad for so long. I understand the hate being thrown his way. He was a disgrace.

A fun read from the Washingtonian years ago.

It's basically about how Chuck Todd played his own politics at NBC and got David Gregory abruptly fired so he could take the job he thought he should have had already.

[quote] Todd also pined for the moderator’s chair—and lobbied aggressively for it. “He saw himself as the heir,” says the former senior NBC executive, and “let it be known that he was the one that Tim Russert wanted.”

He's gone far for a homely man with no college degree.

I understand the hate, but what's with all the references to him being fat?

R64, I will give you this one: the only thing I will give Chuck Todd credit for -- and it's something I haven't really seen anyone else do, at least not as often as they should -- is the fact he asked that Rethug gasbag, James Comer, point blank while Comer was going on and on about Hunter Biden why the Rethugs weren't also interested in investigating Trump's evil spawn, specifically son-in-law Jared Kushner and his shady dealings with Saudi Arabia. Comer looked flabbergasted like he couldn't believe he was being asked the question and of course proceeded to worm his way out of it.

But yes, I was astounded Chuck Todd of all people did that.

Too many Sundays, leading up to November 2016, of Chuck yucking it up with Trump.

Good riddance.

R70 "Comey."

I've done work that sounds similar to this. Give ME a chance!

Nope, r72:

He was better than David Gregory, but he was still thoroughly mediocre.

This guy was the MTP host to beat:

R57 = Mrs. Kristian Denny Todd.

[QUOTE] Chuck Todd's barely concealed Republicanism

You're actually right! I'm surprised, I would have thought he was a Democrat. I never felt he was harder on the Left than on the Right.

Fuck Chuck Todd.

Was he a fatty at one point?

R76 must be posting from the afterlife.

Maybe Fox gave him Tucker’s spot.

Chuckles Toad has been a clown 🤡 for the duration of his tenure on MTP. He’s not so much a conservative as a coward. He pushed back on Democrats more than he did on Repukes because he knew that he could do that without the same repercussions. The Dems would grumble about being unfairly treated but they wouldn’t stop appearing on MTP. The Rethugs would. Hence, those critical follow-up questions — the easy ones that people were shouting at their screens during MTP — were largely nonexistent. Good riddance.

I like Kristen Welker and I hope that she does well. Considering how awful Chuck has been, the bar is set so low that it will be impossible for her to not exceed expectations.