Andrea Mitchell Tributes Pour in for Her Final MSNBC Newscast

Andrea Mitchell brought the curtain down on her career as an MSNBC anchor on Friday. The veteran journalist has been the face of the network’s noontime hour since 2008 as the host of Andrea Mitchell Reports. Mitchell announced her departure from the newscast in October, along with her intention to transition into a broader role with NBCUniversal News Group.

In the final moments of the final Andrea Mitchell Reports, the anchor was joined in studio by current and former staffers, as well as her NBC News colleague Kristen Welker.

“Journalism is an enormous privilege and a responsibility,” Mitchell said in her final remarks. “It’s never been more important to do it well. That’s my vow as I continue on this journey.”

Welker and Mitchell also teased where viewers could find her next, including the Today show, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and Meet the Press.

The days leading up to her final newscast have included flashbacks to some of her notable moments in news game. Those moments have included her 2009 interview with one-time vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin to her appearance at the 2018 Aspen Conference when news broke that President Donald Trump would meet with Russia’s president Vladimir Putin at the White House.

Several of Mitchell’s guests over the past week have also taken time out of their interviews to pay tribute to her career. During a conversation with John Brennan on Tuesday, the former CIA director expressed his thanks for her “many years of hard work” in the anchor’s chair. “You have done a terrific job,” he added.

On Thursday, Nancy Pelosi called Mitchell a “trailblazer” for female journalists. “Thank you for the wisdom, for the judgment, for the real clarity that have you brought to it, especially our issues that relate to foreign policy, but domestically as well,” the Speaker Emerita added.

Mitchell’s frequent guest Aviva Siegel also expressed gratitude to the anchor on Thursday for her coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, and specifically her attention to the plight of Siegel’s husband, Keith Siegel, who was among the Israeli hostages recently released by Hamas. “It’s because you’re just such a sensitive person and understanding that this world needs to be a better world,” Siegel said.

Colleagues and viewers also saluted Mitchell on X, formerly Twitter, during her final newscast.

Mitchell is one of many high-profile anchors pursuing new roles amidst larger changes in the industry. Norah O’Donnell recently left the CBS Evening News to pursue larger stories and interviews at the network. Jim Acosta, meanwhile, departed CNN to launch a news show on Substack. And NBC News has seen the exits of Chuck Todd and Today’s Hoda Kotb.

MSNBC is bracing for its own exit later this year, joining the list of NBCU cable outlets being spun off into a new SpinCo entity. The network’s president Rashida Jones announced her departure last month, with Rebecca Kutler currently serving as interim president as plans around SpinCo continue to coalesce.