Andrea Mitchell STEPS DOWN From MSNBC After 17 YEARS—Sudden RETIREMENT for good Sparks Questions as She Finally Reveals the HIDDEN AGENDA Behind Her Exit

After nearly two decades anchoring at MSNBC, Andrea Mitchell is officially stepping away from the desk—permanently. Though she once claimed she’d return to field reporting after the inauguration, her abrupt change of course has left media insiders stunned. Now, at 78, Mitchell is opening up about what really drove her decision—and it’s not what viewers expected. Was it burnout? Network politics? Or something deeper that’s been building for years? Her revelations hint at power struggles, behind-the-scenes pressure, and a silent battle few ever saw coming.

Click now to uncover the real reason Mitchell walked away—and what she’s finally ready to say.

Andrea Mitchell attends a New York City event on Feb. 21, 2024.Credit : Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Andrea Mitchell is stepping away from her MSNBC anchor chair on Friday, Feb. 7, after nearly 17 years at the desk.

The longtime host of Andrea Mitchell Reports first revealed in October that the daily show planned to end its run after the presidential inauguration, though a specific date for the transition was not announced at the time.

“After sixteen years of being in the anchor chair every day, I want time to do more of what I love the most: connecting, listening, and reporting in the field, especially as whoever is elected next week is going to undertake the monumental task of handling two foreign wars and the political divisions here at home,” Mitchell, 78, said on Oct. 29.

Though she will no longer report daily from the MSNBC desk, Mitchell will remain NBC News’ chief Washington correspondent and chief foreign affairs correspondent, PEOPLE confirms.

NBCU News Group previously clarified that she will continue to report across all platforms for NBC News and MSNBC, and will be tapped to help with breaking news events and on major political nights.

Andrea Mitchell interviews Nancy Reagan earlier in her career.NBC News

Mitchell — who is married to former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan, 98 — has been a mainstay at NBC News for nearly 50 years, covering every presidential election since 1980 and interviewing major political players.

In 2023, Mitchell reflected on her half-century career in broadcast journalism, sharing with PEOPLE the advice she would give herself if she got a do-over in the industry.

“I would tell my younger self to be more self-confident, know my worth, demand equal pay, get more sleep and take more time off to be with my family,” she told PEOPLE at the time.

“Former first lady Barbara Bush once told the Wellesley College graduates that at the end of their life, they would never regret not taking one more test or closing one more deal but will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend or a parent.”

The shake-up at MSNBC comes on the heels of several other high-profile departures in the political journalism field since the election.

On Dec. 19 Fox News’ Neil Cavuto, a longtime Trump critic, announced that he would be leaving the network after 28 years; on Jan. 28, Jim Acosta revealed that he was leaving CNN after 18 years; on Jan. 31, Chuck Todd shared that he was departing NBC News nearly a year and a half after being replaced on Meet the Press.