By now, we are guessing all of you know that Chuck Todd has decided to say his goodbyes to NBC’s popular show Meet the Press. The television reporter has stepped down as the host of the show after a total of 9 years.
On June 4, 2023, Sunday, Todd announced that Kristen Welker will be the new host of the show Meet the Press. In a tweet shared on the show’s official Twitter page, he disclosed that he will be leaving the show after almost a decade.
The tweet began with a statement that read, “Today we close the show with an announcement from @chucktood.” In the clip shared, Chuck can be heard saying, “While today is not my final show, this will be my final summer here at Meet the Press. … I am really proud of what this team and I have built over the last decade.”
So, who is Kristen Welker? Continue reading further to know everything about the personal and professional life of Kristen Welker as she gets ready to host the show Meet the Press after the departure of Chuck Todd in September.
Kristen Welker is the new host of the show ‘Meet the Press’
Kristen Welker is no stranger to the world of limelight. She has been a longtime NBC News journalist. She has recently been announced as the new host of Sunday’s iconic program Meet the Press.
During the June 4, episode of the show, Chuck Todd revealed that he will be leaving the show later this year in September. Along with this, he also unveiled that Kristen Welker will take over the show following his exit.
At the end of Sunday’s program, Todd said, “The key to the survival of any of these media entities, including here at Meet the Press, is for leaders to not overstay their welcome. I’d rather leave a little bit too soon than stay a tad too long.”
He further added, “I’m also ready to take a step back because I know the person whom I’m passing the baton to is somebody who’s been ready for this for a while: Kristen Welker.”
Chuck went on to say, “I’ve had the privilege of working with her from essentially her first day and let me just say she’s the right person in the right moment. And for what it’s worth, this is exactly how I always hoped this would end, that I’d be passing the baton to her, which I’ll officially do in September.”
Soon after, Kristen took to her Twitter page to react to the above news. She tweeted, “@chucktodd has been a mentor and friend since my first day at @NBCNews. I’ve learned so much from sitting with him at the anchor desk and simply experiencing his passion for politics. I’m humbled and grateful to take the baton and continue to build on the legacy of @MeetThePress.”
All about Kristen Welker’s early life and educational qualifications
Kristen Welker was born on July 1, 1976, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. to Harvey and Julie Welker. As per her Wikipedia page, her dad Harvey is an engineer by profession, meanwhile, her mother Julie is a real estate agent.
In the year 1994, Welker graduated from Germantown Friends School which is located in Philadelphia. Soon after, she graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Arts from Harvard in 1998.
During her time at Harvard in 1997, when she was still an undergrad, she interned at Today. And life came a full circle for her 23 years later in 2020 when she became the co-anchor of Weekend Today with Peter Alexander.
Kristen has been a White House correspondent for NBC News since the year 2011. Apart from this, she covered the 2016 elections for the channel extensively. Before getting a full time-job at NBC, she also worked for some local TV stations in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and California.
Kristen Welker is the second Black woman to ever moderate a presidential debate
Yeah, you read that right. In the year 2020, Welker became the second Black woman to moderate a presidential debate. Then, she presided over the final debate in the race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.
Apart from Kristen, there has been only one Black female journalist who has helmed a presidential debate. And it’s none other than ABC anchor Carole Simpson. She moderated the debate between George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ross Perot in 1992. Carole was the first Black woman to helm a major United States network news program.
What inspired Kristen Welker to become a journalist?
Growing up biracial inspired Kristen to become a journalist. In June 2020, Welker was one of the eight Black journalists interviewed by Glamour magazine. Then, she told the magazine, how growing up with a Black mother and a white father inspired her to step into the news industry.
While having a chat with the magazine, she said, “Growing up as a biracial child, the idea of helping people of different races and backgrounds better communicate inspired me to become a journalist.”
Welker further added, “With protesters demanding change after George Floyd’s death, it is more important than ever that everyone has a voice and elected leaders from the White House to City Hall are held accountable for their words and actions, or lack thereof.”
Kristen Welker is a proud mom of a daughter
Kristen started dating John Hughes, a marketing executive with Merck, in 2014. The pair got engaged in 2016. They tied the knot in the year 2017. The pair exchanged their vows on March 4, 2017, in the Rose Ballroom at The Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia.
In June 2021, the TV personality and her husband Hughes welcomed their first child, daughter Margot Lane Welker Hughes via surrogate after Kristen’s years-long struggles with infertility. Welker announced the arrival of her little one on the Today Show. Every now, and then, the proud parents gush over their daughter Margot on Instagram.
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