Kristen Welker: 5 Things To Know About New ‘Meet The Press’ Host

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Image Credit: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA Kristen Welker has served arsenic a White House analogous for NBC News since 2011 The Harvard grad became the 2nd Black pistillate to ever mean a statesmanlike statement successful 2020 In June 2023, it was announced that she volition beryllium taking implicit ‘Meet the Press’

Longtime NBC News writer Kristen Welker has conscionable been named the big for the iconic Sunday quality programme Meet the Press. In a large shakeup, the show’s existent moderator, Chuck Todd, announced connected the June 4, 2023 occurrence that helium volition beryllium exiting successful September, with Kristen arsenic his replacement. “I’m besides acceptable to instrumentality a measurement backmost due to the fact that I cognize the idiosyncratic whom I’m passing the baton to is idiosyncratic who’s been acceptable for this for a while: Kristen Welker,” Chuck said connected the show. “I’ve had the privilege of moving with her from fundamentally her archetypal time and fto maine conscionable accidental she’s the close idiosyncratic successful the close moment. And for what it’s worth, this is precisely however I ever hoped this would end, that I’d beryllium passing the baton to her.”

.@chucktodd has been a mentor and person since my archetypal time astatine @NBCNews. I’ve learned truthful overmuch from sitting with him astatine the anchor table and simply experiencing his passionateness for politics. I'm humbled and grateful to instrumentality the baton and proceed to physique connected the bequest of @MeetThePress

— Kristen Welker (@kwelkernbc) June 4, 2023

Kristen took to her Twitter to respond to the quality (above), calling Chuck a “mentor and friend.” She added, “I’ve learned truthful overmuch from sitting with him astatine the anchor table and simply experiencing his passionateness for politics. I’m humbled and grateful to instrumentality the baton and proceed to physique connected the bequest of @MeetThePress.”

Before she takes implicit the prestigious quality program, larn much astir Kristen, below:

1. Her vocation astatine NBC News began arsenic a assemblage student.

Kristen Welker successful 2023. (ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA)

While inactive an undergrad astatine Harvard successful 1997, Welker interned astatine Today. Twenty-three years later, successful January 2020, she would go the co-anchor of Weekend Today with Peter Alexander. Welker has served arsenic a White House analogous for NBC News since 2011, arsenic well, covering the 2016 predetermination extensively. Prior to her full-time tenure astatine NBC, Welker Welker worked for section TV stations successful Rhode Island, California, and Pennsylvania.

2. She’s the 2nd Black pistillate to ever mean a statesmanlike debate.

In 2020, Welker, who was calved to a achromatic begetter and a Black parent successful Philadelphia , became the 2nd Black pistillate to mean a statesmanlike debate, arsenic she presided implicit the last statement successful the contention betwixt Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.

Besides Welker, determination has lone been 1 different Black pistillate writer to helm a statesmanlike debate. That grant went to ABC anchor Carole Simpson moderated the lucifer betwixt George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ross Perot successful 1992. Simpson was besides the archetypal Black pistillate to helm a large United States web quality program.

Kristen Welker (Ron Sachs / CNP / MEGA)

3. Growing up biracial inspired her to go a journalist.

Welker was 1 of 8 Black journalists interviewed by Glamour successful June 2020. She told the mag that increasing up with a Black parent and a achromatic begetter inspired her to participate the quality industry. “Growing up arsenic a biracial child, the thought of helping radical of antithetic races and backgrounds amended pass inspired maine to go a journalist,” she told the magazine. “With protesters demanding alteration aft George Floyd’s death, it is much important than ever that everyone has a dependable and elected leaders from the White House to City Hall are held accountable for their words and actions, oregon deficiency thereof.”

4. Becoming co-anchor connected ‘Weekend TODAY’ was a ‘dream’ for Kristen.

Kristen wanted to beryllium a writer since she was six-years-old, according to TODAY, and started her nonrecreational vocation arsenic a researcher for Weekend TODAY before going connected to get her archetypal on-air occupation astatine KRCR successful Redding, CA. After learning of her caller occupation arsenic co-anchor on Weekend TODAY, the hardworking endowment was truthful grateful. “This is thing that you imagination astir that I’ve worked truthful hard for,” she gushed during the announcement. “It is the grant of a lifetime. It’s coming afloat circle.”

5. Kristen is simply a arrogant ma of a daughter

Kristen and John Hughes, a selling enforcement with Merck, started dating successful 2014. They got engaged successful June 2016 and their wedding took spot connected March 4, 2017 successful the Rose Ballroom astatine The Bellevue Hotel successful Philadelphia.

In June 2021, Kristen and John added girl Margot Lane Welker Hughes to their family. The mates welcomed their babe miss via surrogate pursuing Kristen’s years-long struggles with infertility. Kristen announced Margot’s arrival connected the Today Show and revealed that her daughter’s archetypal sanction was a tribute to her grandmother, Margaret, portion Lane is simply a tribute to a household sanction connected John’s broadside of the family. And the arrogant parents emotion to gush astir the Margot connected Kristen’s Instagram!

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