Inside Peter Alexander’s Today Journey — And The Real Reason He Left NBC

Peter Alexander, a staple of NBC News for 22 years and the steady cohost of Saturday Today for nearly eight, signed off for good on March 28, 2026. He did it live on air, teary and clear-eyed about why: family first. Here is how he got here, what pushed the decision, and where he is reportedly headed next. Career snapshot 2004: Joins NBC News, filing reports for local affiliates. 2018: Moves to the national desk; adds Saturday Today cohost duties while covering the White House. 2021: Named NBC News Chief White House Correspondent. 2024: Marks 20 years with NBC and reflects on the craft of reporting. March 28, 2026: Says goodbye to NBC News during Saturday Today. The long NBC run Alexander came up through NBC the old-fashioned way: start local, earn the national seat, then take on the political beat. By 2018, he was splitting his time between anchoring Saturday Today and chasing news at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. He was promoted to Chief White House Correspondent in 2021. In 2024, during a Today segment looking back at his two decades on the job, he talked about learning to be a storyteller, the weight of public trust, and how he never actually pictured himself as a political reporter until he became one. Also very on-brand for the Today universe: he went all-in on the show’s Halloween episodes over the years — think Jimmy Buffett, Mrs. Doubtfire, Blake Shelton, Kevin Bacon. Serious journalist who will also lip-sync in a wig? Checks out. The on-air goodbye During the March 28 broadcast, Alexander didn’t try to play it cool. He thanked the leaders and mentors who backed him, called the past 22 years an incredible ride, and admitted NBC had been part of his life longer than his own family. He described Studio 1A as his happy place — not just the faces on camera, but the crew you never see. Why he walked away The math just stopped making sense. Alexander and his wife, journalist Alison Starling, are raising two daughters — Ava and Emma — who were 12 and 10 as of March 2026. The family lives in Washington, D.C. Saturday Today happens in New York. That weekly commute turned into a grind: more than 80 nights away in the past seven months alone, and north of 200 Friday nights gone over seven years. He emphasized how much fun the gig has been, but also how fast kids grow up. He wants a better work-life balance and a fresh professional challenge. He even summed up the whole decision with a line he says he was raised on: Family first, the rest is details. Before signing off, he thanked NBC News for what he called the most exciting years of his TV journalism career. What he is doing next He made a point of saying he is not quitting journalism, but he didn’t reveal his next job on air. After the show, multiple outlets reported he is headed to MS Now as an anchor and chief national reporter. As of now, MS Now has not commented or announced anything official. How people took the news Alexander and Starling have been married since 2012, and she kept it simple on Instagram after the announcement: proud wife energy. Inside the NBC orbit, the reaction was heartfelt and immediate. Saturday Today cohost Laura Jarrett got emotional on air, praising Alexander as a sharp reporter, a good person, and an even better dad — and pointing out, not inaccurately, that 200 missed Friday nights is a lot when you only get one shot at parenting. Savannah Guthrie chimed in with love and respect on social media, and Sheinelle Jones wrote a longer tribute about what a bright spot Alexander has been at work — and yes, she shouted out those Halloween looks, with Mrs. Doubtfire and Jimmy Buffett as personal favorites. Bottom line After two decades and change at NBC News, Peter Alexander chose home over hotels. The man can still anchor, still report, and he says he plans to do both — just on terms that let him make more Saturday breakfasts than flights to LaGuardia. If the MS Now reports pan out, we will see him again soon, just with a new logo over his shoulder.

Inside Peter Alexander’s Today Journey — And The Real Reason He Left NBC

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