Veteran MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell will leave her long-running afternoon program after a new president takes office.
The 77-year-old anchor announced on Tuesday her intentions to move on after the inauguration, but assured viewers that she’s not retiring. She’ll stay with MSNBC’s parent company to serve as NBC News’ chief foreign affairs correspondent and chief Washington correspondent.
“After 16 years of being in the anchor chair every day, I want time to do more of what I love the most — more connecting, listening, working in the field,” she said, adding that she plans to stick around “for many years to come.”
Mitchell did not provide an exact date for her final show, nor did she say who would take over her afternoon spot on the network.
Mitchell joined NBC News is 1978 and has served as its chief foreign affairs correspondent since 1994. She launched “Andrea Mitchell Reports” in 2008, going on to become MSNBC’s longest-running afternoon anchor.
According to the New Rochelle native, she asked NBC if she could step away from her daily routine to cover the U.S. under its next president “from a different vantage point,” regardless of who wins next week’s election.
MSNBC posted a statement confirming Mitchell “decided to shift from her daily anchoring duties,” but will remain with NBC News in a “broader role.”
Congrats, Andrea on 16 years at the anchor desk!” the network wrote.