Kristen Welker - Wikipedia

Journalist (born 1976)

Kristen Welker
Welker in 2024
Born	(1976-07-01) July 1, 1976 (age 49)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.[citation needed]
Education	Harvard University (BA)
Occupations	Journalist correspondent
Employer	NBC News
Spouse	John Hughes ​(m. 2017)​
Children	2

Kristen Welker (born July 1, 1976[1]) is an American television journalist working for NBC News. She serves as a White House correspondent based in Washington, D.C.,[2] and served as co-anchor of Weekend Today, the Saturday edition of Today, alongside Peter Alexander from 2020 to 2023. She took over hosting duties for the longest-running program in television history, Meet the Press, on September 17, 2023.[3][4]

Early life and education

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Kristen Welker is the daughter of Harvey and Julie Welker.[5] Her father is an engineer, her mother a real estate agent.[6] Welker's father is Jewish and her mother is Black.[5][7] She graduated from the private Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia in 1994.[8][9]

Welker received a Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) with a major in American history from Harvard College in 1998.[9][10][11] She interned for the TV program Today in 1997.[12]

Career

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Welker has worked at ABC affiliates WLNE-TV in Providence, Rhode Island, and KRCR-TV in Redding/Chico, California, and joined NBC in 2005 at affiliate WCAU in Philadelphia, where she was a reporter and weekend anchor. She then joined NBC News in 2010 as a correspondent based at the NBC News West Coast Headquarters in Burbank, California. She became an NBC White House correspondent in December 2011.

Welker regularly represented MSNBC at the daily White House press briefings as well as reported live for various programs on the channel. She occasionally filled in on NBC Nightly News and Today. On January 10, 2020, NBC announced that Welker would become the regular co-anchor of Weekend Today alongside Peter Alexander. She debuted as co-anchor on Weekend Today on January 11, 2020.[13]

On October 22, 2020, amidst the ongoing COVID pandemic emergency, Kristen Welker hosted the final debate in the 2020 presidential election between incumbent Republican president Donald Trump and his challenger, former vice president Joe Biden.[14]

On June 4, 2023, it was announced by NBC that Welker had been named to succeed Chuck Todd in September 2023 as anchor of their Sunday morning program Meet the Press and its weekday spin-off Meet the Press Now on NBC News NOW.[15][16]

On her debut show as host, she interviewed former U.S President Donald Trump.[17] The interview received some criticism because some felt Welker did not challenge Trump's alleged falsehoods enough and that Trump shouldn't have been given a platform to spread his views on the 2020 election and other topics.[18][4]

On November 8, 2023, she co-moderated the third 2024 GOP primary debate alongside Lester Holt and Hugh Hewitt in Miami, Florida. Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy started off by calling her a member of the "corrupt media establishment" and accusing her of pushing "the Trump–Russia collusion hoax". Welker grinned and ignored the attack and Holt moved on.[19][20]

On May 4, 2025, Welker interviewed Donald Trump for the second time on Meet the Press. This interview received some notoriety after Trump expressed doubt when asked if he would uphold the US Constitution as President.[21]

Personal life

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Welker married marketing-executive John Hughes in Philadelphia on March 4, 2017. The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Margot, via surrogate in June 2021, after publicly sharing their journey with infertility."6 Things to Know About Kristen Welker..." TV Insider. Retrieved October 17, 2025. They welcomed a second child, son John Zachary, via surrogate on May 30, 2024."Kristen Welker expecting second baby via surrogate". People Magazine. Retrieved October 17, 2025.

Awards and recognition

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• 2023: Named among *Glamour*’s “Women of the Year” for breaking barriers in broadcast journalism."Kristen Welker Is Ready to Break Barriers". Glamour. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
• 2020: Commended by multiple networks for her moderation of the 2020 presidential debate.
• Harvard College — Magna cum laude, Bachelor of Arts in American history (1998).
• Germantown Friends School (Philadelphia) graduate, 1994.

See also

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• List of Harvard College alumni
• List of Sunday morning talk shows in the United States

References

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1. ^ Kristen Welker (@kwelkernbc) (July 1, 2015). "Thanks so much! "@ happy. We share with Pam Anderson and Lady Diana. Solid company."". Twitter. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
2. ^ "Kristen Welker". msnbc.com. October 11, 2010. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
3. ^ "Trump joins Kristen Welker in her first show as moderator of Meet the Press – September 17". NBC News. September 17, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
4. ^ a b "Commentary: 'Meet the Press' debuts with Kristen Welker and treads familiar ground with Trump". Los Angeles Times. September 17, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
5. ^ a b Philly Magazine: "HughE Dillon: Jonas Brothers Play Ball in Camden - Plus today’s Snoop Dogg appearance, a farewell party for NBC 10s Kristen Welker, and D.A. Seth Williams sings for his supper" By Hugh E. Dillon August 30, 2010
6. ^ Dan Gross. " Go West Young Kristen Welker." Philadelphia Daily News, August 19, 2010, p. 28.
7. ^ Philly Magazine: "Race For Votes Flier's Bigoted, Sexist, Welker Camp Argues" by Cynthia Burton and Mark McDonald April 27, 1995
8. ^ Philly Magazine: "Kristen Welker’s New Gig: Hanging Out With the Obamas - The Philly native and NBC10 alum joined the White House press corps" By Gail Shister December 20, 2011
9. ^ a b Philly Magazine: "Brian Williams, Matt Lauer … Kristen Welker? - The Philly-bred reporter is headed for the big leagues as a national correspondent for “Nightly News”" By Gail Shister August 19, 2010
10. ^ "Harvard Alumni Directory". Retrieved April 9, 2015.
11. ^ Patricia Clifford. "Family Celebrates Welker's Career Move." Philadelphia Tribune, August 31, 2010, p. 8B.
12. ^ Stump, Scott (January 11, 2020). "Once a TODAY Intern, Kristen Welker Now Anchors Weekend TODAY". NBC Boston. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
13. ^ Corinthios, Aurelie. "Kristen Welker to Co-Anchor NBC's Weekend Today: 'So Proud of You,' Says Savannah Guthrie". PEOPLE.com.
14. ^ Benwell, Max (October 23, 2020). "The 'obvious' winner of the final debate: moderator Kristen Welker". TheGuardian.com.
15. ^ Arkin, Daniel (June 4, 2023). "Chuck Todd will depart 'Meet the Press.' Kristen Welker will be the next host". NBC News. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
16. ^ Barr, Jeremy (June 4, 2023). "Chuck Todd to leave NBC's 'Meet the Press'; Welker will become host". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
17. ^ "Full transcript: Read Kristen Welker's interview with Trump". NBC News. September 17, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
18. ^ Jones, Tom (September 18, 2023). "Kristen Welker's controversial debut as "Meet the Press" moderator". Poynter. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
19. ^ "GOP debate: Vivek Ramaswamy attacks NBC's Kristen Welker, other moderators". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
20. ^ "Vivek Ramaswamy Kicks Off Debate by Trashing NBC Moderators and Turning the Tables: 'Answer the Question'". Mediaite. November 9, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
21. ^ Viser, Matt (May 4, 2025). "Trump says 'I don't know' when asked if he's required to uphold Constitution". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 5, 2025.

External links

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• NBC's Bio of Kristen Welker
• Appearances on C-SPAN

v t e NBC News personnel
NBC Nightly News	Tom Llamas (weekdays) Jose Diaz-Balart (Saturday) Hallie Jackson (Sunday)
Today	Savannah Guthrie (co-anchor) Craig Melvin (co-anchor and 3rd hour co-anchor) Al Roker (weather anchor and 3rd hour co-anchor) Carson Daly (features anchor) Sheinelle Jones (3rd hour co-anchor) Dylan Dreyer (3rd hour co-anchor) Jenna Bush Hager (4th hour co-host)
Saturday Today	Peter Alexander (co-anchor) Laura Jarrett (co-anchor) Joe Fryer (features anchor) Angie Lassman (meteorologist)
Sunday Today with Willie Geist	Willie Geist
Early Today	Frances Rivera (anchor) Michelle Grossman (weather anchor)
Meet the Press with Kristen Welker	Kristen Welker (moderator)
Dateline	Lester Holt (anchor) Andrea Canning Josh Mankiewicz Keith Morrison Dennis Murphy Blayne Alexander
Chief correspondents	Peter Alexander (chief White House correspondent) Richard Engel (chief foreign correspondent) Bill Karins (chief meteorologist) Andrea Mitchell (Chief Foreign Affairs & Chief Washington Correspondent) Kelly O'Donnell (chief justice and national affairs correspondent) Anne Thompson (chief environmental affairs correspondent) Keir Simmons (chief international correspondent) Ryan Nobles (Chief Capitol Hill Correspondent) Vicky Nguyen (Chief Consumer Investigative Correspondent)
Senior correspondents	Jay Gray (senior national correspondent) Stephanie Gosk (senior national correspondent) Hallie Jackson (senior Washington correspondent) Garrett Haake (senior White House correspondent) Shannon Pettypiece (senior White House correspondent) Kate Snow (senior national correspondent) Gabe Gutierrez (senior White House correspondent) Christine Romans (senior business correspondent) Laura Jarrett (senior legal correspondent) Tom Costello (senior correspondent)
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Foreign correspondents	Ali Arouzi (Tehran) Matt Bradley (London) Kelly Cobiella (London) Richard Engel (chief foreign correspondent) Meagan Fitzgerald (London) Claudio Lavanga (Rome) Janis Mackey Frayer (China/Asia) Keir Simmons (chief international correspondent) Raf Sanchez (London)
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