Chuck Todd Was 'Forced Out' as 'Meet the Press' Moderator, Claims Rival Dan Abrams
June 6 2023, Published 5:00 p.m. ET
Dan Abrams called out NBC News for Chuck Todd's exit, claiming it's clear the network forced him out despite Todd claiming he was stepping down to spend more time with his family, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Abrams urged his news network rival to be more transparent with the Meet The Press host's departure, saying NBC's spin is "almost certainly a lie."
While Abrams noted that “for the most part, most people just don’t care if Chuck Todd hosts the show or not,” he said the handling of Todd's exit spoke volumes.
“Here’s what does matter,” the NewsNation host and Mediaite founder stated on Monday. “That a news operation that is supposed to be seeking out the truth and providing its viewers and readers with accurate information, calling out fact from fiction. And yet, they are almost certainly creating a fictionalized version of what happened.”
According to Abrams, Todd “was clearly forced out of the role and replaced” with Kristen Welker. He also doubted Todd voluntarily stepped down amid the upcoming election.
"I like Chuck Todd. I think he was often in a no-win situation on that show, but he’s going to stay at NBC and just choose to relinquish his highest profile role with the 2024 election around the corner? The one that arguably takes up less time than being the chief political analyst for NBC News? You don’t need to get up early every morning to host a Sunday show," he argued.
As Abrams pointed out, rumblings that Todd could lose his position started last year, with sources telling RadarOnline.com in August that he was already on the chopping block following low ratings.
Despite the rumors, Todd insisted he wasn't leaving his Meet The Press anchor chair “anytime soon.”
Dan Abrams backed the allegations, urging NBC News to be transparent about Chuck's departure.
"That was eight months ago. That is pretty soon," Abrams said. "Look, ratings were down for the show. Among the three broadcast Sunday shows, it’s gone from number one in the key demo and second in total viewers to last in total viewers and second in the demo. They had already canceled Todd’s daily show on MSNBC, and NBC was probably under pressure to replace a White male host of a show that was both suffering in the ratings and which was blasted by many on social media."
He said NBC's alleged tactics on Todd's outing was similar to the strategies used by rival networks, including CNN's firing Don Lemon and Fox News’ axing Tucker Carlson. Abrams argued that news organizations need to be more transparent.
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“Isn’t the news industry supposed to be different?” Abrams asked. “We are supposed to be in the business of calling out the spin, not creating it…If we want the public to trust us in the news business, how can the entities themselves lie or spin their own news?”
Todd revealed he was stepping down from his longtime position on Monday, but will remain at NBC as their chief political analyst. He'll be replaced by Welker starting this fall.
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