TODAY’s Peter Alexander reveals biggest change after leaving NBC for new network

Peter Alexander is looking forward to his new chapter.

Earlier this year, the longtime NBC anchor revealed he was leaving his role on Saturday Today, after spending 22 years with the network.

And though he is moving on to a new network, MS NOW (previously MSNBC), and will be busy with his first-ever solo broadcast, State of Play, he appreciates that his new gig finally lets him spend more time with his children.

Speaking with People, Peter, who shares daughters Ava, 13, and Emma, 11, with wife Alison Starling, noted: “The window where my kids want to hang out with me is closing, rapidly, so I’m going to go to every soccer game, gymnastics practice and theater performance while I can,” even if “they roll their eyes while I’m belting out Olivia Rodrigo in the car.”

Peter’s new show, which according to a memo from the network will be focusing on “authoritative and original reporting, thoughtful conversations, and in-depth analysis of the biggest political and national stories shaping the day,” premieres on Monday, August 10, at 11am ET.

Now that he has a new schedule, Peter, 50, is eager to be “home for school pickup and dinner at night.”

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“I’ll still be chasing big stories, covering breaking news and interviewing those who are making headlines,” he maintained, though added: “But I’ll also be home, sleeping in my own bed much more often.”

Also addressing his departure from NBC after 22 years, he shared: “I’m so proud of my years at NBC News, but I’m 50 now! It’s time for something new.

“I’ve never had my own show before and that’s a privilege that’s not lost on me. I see an hour-long daily program both as a responsibility and an opportunity, especially at this moment, he went on.

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In addition to his new program, Peter will also serve as a breaking-news anchor and national correspondent for MS NOW, which is owned by Versant, and contribute to some of the sports coverage broadcast by Versant’s other properties, which include Golf Channel and the USA cable network.

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Peter has been married to his wife Alison since 2012; Alison also worked as a news anchor and journalist, co-anchoring for WJLA-TV for two decades, though she stepped away from anchoring in 2023.

The couple live with their daughters outside Washington D.C.