Andrea Mitchell to leave MSNBC anchor chair this Friday after 17 years

Andrea Mitchell will step down as full-time anchor on MSNBC on Friday — ending a 17-year stint as host of “Andrea Mitchell Reports” on the Comcast-owned cable news outfit.Mitchell announced last fall that she would step down from her daily MSNBC show after the presidential inauguration but will continue her work as a correspondent for NBC News.The veteran journalist will remain NBC News’ chief foreign affairs correspondent and chief Washington correspondent.“After sixteen years of being in the anchor chair every day, I want time to do more of what I love the most: connecting, listening, and reporting in the field,” Mitchell, 78, told viewers on Oct.29.“Whoever is elected next week will face the monumental task of handling two foreign wars and the political divisions here at home.”Mitchell’s departure is the end of an era at MSNBC, which launched “Andrea Mitchell Reports” in 2008 — making it the longest-running show in MSNBC’s daytime lineup.

The network has yet to announce what will replace the program.Mitchell’s career spans over five decades at NBC News, where she has covered every US presidential campaign since 1980 and has reported on major global events.NBC executives praised Mitchell’s contributions in a memo, stating: “Andrea remains one of the country’s foremost and most trusted experts on foreign policy and domestic politics.”“Her deep sourcing and ability to land the biggest-name news-making interviews are unmatched,” the network said in a statement, adding that “we are so pleased that she will remain an essential part of the News Group for years to come.”Her departure comes at a time of flux at the Peacock Network and its sister channel MSNBC.Chuck Todd, the former “Meet the Press” moderator, left NBC News last week after nearly two decades.His last day was Friday.“There’s never a perfect time to leave a place that’s been a professional home for so long, but I’m pretty excited about a few new proje...