Tearful Craig Melvin confirms MSNBC departure

Longtime MSNBC anchor and reporter Craig Melvin confirmed he would be leaving the cable channel on Thursday, saying he’ll remain with NBC and focus his efforts working on “Today” and various other programs under the NBCUniversal umbrella.

Melvin, a veteran reporter and anchor based in New York City, had recently hosted an hourlong news program on MSNBC weekday mornings at 11 a.m.

“This nearly decade-long stretch of hosting a cable news program has been a tremendous honor, and I’m so very thankful for the opportunity to really have had a front row seat to so much history. Tumultuous campaigns, elections, natural disasters, far too many mass shootings and of course a global pandemic,” Melvin said as he signed off his late-morning program for the last time. “So many of the stories I’ve covered here, and the people I’ve met on assignments, have moved me in myriad of ways. Some days sad, angry, confused, but always hopeful.”

The anchor said on his daytime cable show he has “tried to cover the news fairly and steer clear of inserting my opinion or perspective. We’ve tried to traffic in facts and truth and let you make up your mind every day, and I’m very proud of that.”

News of NBCUniversal’s plans to move Melvin away from cable and refocus his efforts on “Today” and “Dateline NBC” was confirmed earlier this month by Variety. Melvin was first named a co-anchor of “Today” in 2018, and his contract with the company is reportedly up at the end of the year.

He thanked his family, friends and colleagues as part of his final sign off on MSNBC, name-checking network President Rashida Jones, who he said “gets it,” and became overcome with emotion as he mentioned his parents.

“And thank you for letting me into your homes, your businesses and your vehicles for an hour every day,” he told his viewers. “I appreciate you seeing the value in journalism, showcasing the plight of the least among us, simply asking questions and waiting for answers. We need it now perhaps more than we ever have.”