Today’s Peter Alexander Leaving NBC News After 22 Years

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Peter Alexander has bid viewers a good day.

The journalist, who has been leading the Saturday morning Today show since 2018, announced he was leaving during the broadcast on March 28th. He explained that his decision was difficult, but influenced by his desire to spend more time with family in Washington, D.C.

Peter described Studio 1A as his ‘happy place,’ appreciating the entire team working behind the scenes. He reflected on his time at 30 Rock in New York City as a wonderful job, but noted the difficulty of commuting from his home in Washington. Over the past seven months, he’s been away from home for over 80 nights, and over 200 Friday nights in the last seven years.

The 49-year-old simply wanted to spend more quality time with his wife, Alison Starling, and their daughters, Ava, 12, and Emma, 10.

He realized his daughters weren’t going to want to spend time with him for much longer, and it was already starting to happen. Because of this, he’s really hoping to find a better way to balance work and family life.

As Peter signed off, his colleague Laura Jarrett paid tribute to him with a moving speech, accompanied by a video showcasing his many achievements at NBC.

She told him he was a fantastic journalist, a genuinely good person, and an amazing father. She emphasized how precious his role as Ava and Emma’s dad was, noting that having 200 nights with them felt like a significant amount of time, and they were fortunate to have him.

After 22 years with NBC News, the journalist isn’t leaving television altogether. Just a day after his last appearance on Today, it was announced he’s joining MSNBC to host the 11 a.m. broadcast and work as the network’s Chief National Reporter. Despite leaving his longtime role on Today, he expressed his continued affection for the show and its community.

Peter expressed how much the network meant to him, saying he didn’t have the words to fully describe it. He shared his deep affection for everyone at NBC and wished them all the best in the future.

This journalist isn’t the first TV host to leave a show they’ve been with for a long time. Here are some other unexpected TV exits…

(TopMob and MS NOW are both part of the Versant Media family.)

Samira Mohan is leaving the show The Pitt. According to Variety, actress Supriya Ganesh won’t be back for the third season of the HBO Max drama.

Fans aren’t surprised by the character’s departure, as it’s been established that Ganesh was planning to move to a new hospital for his residency.

In a March 2026 episode, the show said farewell to Director Leon Vance, portrayed by Rocky Carroll, after 18 years with the character. The dramatic exit, which occurred during the show’s 500th episode, involved Vance being killed in a shootout with a dishonest agent. He was then shown entering heaven and reuniting with the late Chief Medical Examiner Donald “Ducky” Mallard, played by Adam Campbell.

Fans were surprised in 2025 to learn that Mehcad Brooks was leaving the NBC crime show before its 25th season.

Brooks, who joined the show in 2022, portrayed Detective Jalen Shaw for three seasons.

Jenna Lyons has confirmed she won’t be back for season 16 of The Real Housewives of New York City.

The rumors are true,” Jenna Lyons, the former creative director of J. Crew, announced on Instagram on November 21st. She explained that she was asked to join season 16 of RHONY as a ‘friend of,’ and they agreed this was a good fit since she wasn’t comfortable filming her personal life.

The fashion icon, who started on the Bravo show in 2022 for its fourteenth season, said she eventually decided she didn’t want to be just a supporting player.

After a lot of consideration, I’ve decided it’s time for me to move on from the show. It’s a tough call, but I’d be the oldest and only openly gay woman there, and I really feel like this opens the door for some fresh perspectives and a new energy to come in. I’m excited to see what happens next!

After nine seasons, the A-list realtor is done selling mega-mansions on the Netflix reality show.

In November, Chrishell shared on social media that she no longer needs the show for income. She explained that she’s fortunate to have other job opportunities and that continuing with the show was negatively affecting her mental well-being.

Jax Taylor has stated he won’t be participating in season three of The Valley following concerns raised by viewers about his conduct in the previous season.

In July 2025, the Bravo star, who is going through a difficult divorce with Brittany Cartwright, explained that he needs to prioritize getting sober, improving his mental health, and being a good coparent. He believes taking this time to focus on himself is essential, particularly for the sake of his son, Cruz.

Several cast members from Saturday Night Live recently announced they won’t be back for the show’s 51st season, with the announcements happening very close together.

Longfellow and Walker each spent three seasons on SNL while Wakim exited after just one season.

Following the departures of Longfellow, Walker, and Wakim from Saturday Night Live, two more popular cast members, Gardner and Nwodim, announced they wouldn’t be back for the show’s 51st season. Gardner had been with the show for eight seasons, and Nwodim for seven.

Sofia Mattsson finished her role on the long-running soap opera in the summer of 2025 after seven years as Sasha Gilmore. Her character moved to Paris as part of the storyline.

Tracy Ifeachor, who starred in the popular HBO Max series The Pitt, has left the show after its successful first season.

The actress shared on Instagram on July 10th how honored she was to play Dr. Heather Collins in what she called a truly innovative season of the show. She also thanked viewers for watching and sharing their personal stories with her.

Even though fans likely expected Joel Miller, played by Pedro Pascal, to die – his fate in April 2025 closely mirrored the events of The Last of Us Part II, the video game the second season of The Last of Us is based on – the shocking way his character was killed still came as a surprise.

Pascal, known for also being killed off in shows like Game of Thrones and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, wasn’t surprised by his character’s fate. He jokingly told Entertainment Weekly, “I’m used to dying – I actually enjoy it!”

Following what he called a “wild adventure,” Peter Krause finished his run as Captain Bobby Nash on the drama 9-1-1 with an episode airing in April 2025.

According to a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, the character Bobby Nash was intentionally created to make a powerful sacrifice. Creator Dick Wolf explained that the character’s purpose was to honor the bravery of first responders, who put their lives on the line every day to save others.

The decision to kill off a popular, yet troubled, firefighter was definitely controversial, according to showrunner Tim Minear in an interview with Variety. He explained that after eight seasons, it was necessary for the show to have real consequences in future storylines, and that meant someone had to die.

Summer just got a little less fun.

In June 2025, Paige DeSorbo revealed she was leaving the Bravo series after being on the show for seven seasons.

After sharing seven summers with you all, I’m incredibly thankful for the memories, the support, and the experiences this journey has given me,” the Giggly Squad podcast host wrote on Instagram. “But it’s time to move on to new things, just like with everything else in life—even the mistakes we learn from.”

The popular Netflix show won’t have the French actress in its fifth season, which is set to come out in April 2025. She has confirmed she’s leaving the series.

In an April 23rd Instagram post, the actress announced she’s leaving Emily in Paris. She shared photos with her former co-stars and described her time on the show as an amazing experience full of growth, creativity, and cherished memories.

Before the third season of The Sex Lives of College Girls begins, Reneé Rapp has announced she’s leaving the show.

She shared on social media in July 2023 that the show College Girls brought her to Los Angeles and connected her with many of her closest friends. She added that after two and a half years, it’s also given her a wonderful community of fans like you.

Mindy Kaling, one of the show’s creators, also confirmed that Reneé Rapp is leaving. She shared on Instagram that they’re sad to see Leighton Murray go, but excited to support Rapp’s upcoming music tour, adding how much they love her.

After over a year of speculation, Kevin Costner confirmed in June 2024 that he won’t be returning for the final season of the popular Paramount drama, following his departure after four and a half seasons.

In February 2023, Ellen Pompeo finished her run as Meredith Grey on the ABC drama after playing the role for 19 years.

Pompeo explained on The Drew Barrymore Show in December 2022 that she needed to try new things. ‘I’m 53, and my brain feels a little scattered,’ she said. ‘I have to keep challenging myself – you can’t do the same thing, like The New York Times crossword, every day!’ Despite saying this, she’s already been back for a guest appearance in May and continues to narrate the series.

But she’s not gone for good. Pompeo still pops in and out of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Henry Cavill, known for his role in Batman vs. Superman, announced he’s leaving the Netflix fantasy series after season three. Liam Hemsworth will take over as Geralt, starting with season four and likely continuing in future seasons.

In an October 2022 Instagram post, Henry Cavill announced that after playing Geralt of Rivia, he would be stepping down from his role for the fourth season, saying he was putting aside his Witcher medallion and swords.

As a longtime follower of the Chicago P.D. family, it was definitely bittersweet to see Jesse Lee Soffer leave the show in 2022. After ten incredible seasons playing Detective Jay Halstead, he decided it was time to move on, and we all said a fond farewell to his character.

Everyone involved with the show has put their heart and soul into making each week’s episode, and it’s been a rewarding experience,” said Jesse Soffer in a statement following his last episode on October 5th. “I’m incredibly proud of my work as Detective Jay Halstead.

After five seasons, Damian Lewis departed Showtime’s Billions in Oct. 2021.

In August 2021, Emily VanCamp left the TV show The Resident on Fox, marking the end of her role as a doctor on the series.

Madeleine Mantock, who played Macy on the CW’s Charmed reboot, decided to leave the show after three seasons. She announced her departure in 2021, calling the role a great opportunity and expressing her appreciation for the show’s producers, writers, cast, and crew, with whom she enjoyed working.

Elizabeth Keen will never learn the truth about Raymond Reddington. Actress Megan Boone decided to leave NBC’s The Blacklist after season eight, and her character was killed off before she could read a crucial letter revealing everything. Boone announced the end of her time playing Liz in 2021 with an Instagram post, calling the experience “a dream.”

The second season of Bridgerton didn’t include Rege-Jean Page, who became a fan favorite in the first season of the popular Netflix drama. Fans were disappointed when it was announced he wouldn’t be returning in 2021.

He told Vanity Fair that he simply did the work he signed up for, and then took on additional jobs. ‘That’s all there is to it,’ he said. ‘I wish there was a more exciting story behind it.’

Ruby Rose first appeared as Batwoman (Kate Kane) in a 2018 Arrowverse event and then led the CW’s Batwoman series for one season. This was a historic moment, as she became the first openly lesbian superhero to star in her own show. However, she announced her departure from the series just two days after the first season ended in 2020. In season two, Javicia Leslie took over the role, playing a new character named Ryan Wilder who became the new Batwoman.

Later on in season two, Kate got a bit of a face swap and returned played by Wallis Day.

America Ferrera left the show Superstore after its fifth season in 2020, which meant both a loss for the Cloud 9 store and a major change for the series. Although she made a brief appearance in the first two episodes of season six due to pandemic-related delays, she ultimately returned for the show’s final episode to ensure her character, Amy, and Jonah (Ben Feldman) got a satisfying conclusion to their story.

In the 2019 finale of the Syfy show The Magicians, Jason Ralph’s character, Quentin, successfully rescued Eliot (played by Hale Appleman) but died in the process. Although the show often features characters dying—it is called The Magicians—Ralph didn’t appear in the fifth and final season.

Ahead of the final season, Arrow‘s Emily Bett Rickards announced her exit in a poem of sorts.

Felicity and I are very close, but after the seventh episode, we’ll be leaving the show,” she wrote.

She did, however, return for a guest appearance in the show’s 2020 series finale.

Lauren Cohan initially left The Walking Dead in 2018 after difficult contract talks. While she appeared in a few episodes of season nine, her character, Maggie Greene, disappeared after a time jump of six years. Producers wanted her to come back, and when her TV show Whiskey Cavalier on ABC was canceled, she did. Cohan returned to The Walking Dead in October 2020, appearing in the sixteenth episode of season ten.

It was tough saying goodbye to Danai Gurira as Michonne! Right after Cohan and Andrew Lincoln left, she finished her run on The Walking Dead. I was a huge fan of her character – she first appeared wielding that katana back in season three, and her last episode aired way back in March 2020. It definitely felt like the end of an era!

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2026-04-03 22:49