After a decade away from the camera, Luke Russert is stepping back into the television spotlight. The 40-year-old son of the late Tim Russert, the legendary moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” is now co-hosting “The Weeknight,” a 7 p.m. news program on MS NOW, the second most-watched cable news network in the U.S., behind Fox News.
The move marks a significant return for Russert, who left his post as an NBC News congressional correspondent in 2016 to travel the world and write a bestselling memoir. Now, with a new show and a baby due in late July, he’s ready to bring a more measured perspective to political coverage.
“Sometimes you’re a young man and you’re very confident in your twenties and you might be too brash, too overconfident,” Russert told USA TODAY. “Now I’m 40. You have some years of experience behind you where you’re more comfortable sharing your opinions and you feel more grounded in your beliefs.”
Russert’s return comes as cable news networks scramble to attract millennial talent to boost ratings during Donald Trump’s second term. He joins a roster that includes CNN’s Abby Phillip and Kaitlan Collins, as well as his new co-hosts on “The Weeknight”: Symone Sanders Townsend, a former Biden-Harris White House communications strategist, and Michael Steele, a former Republican National Committee chairman.
Russert’s path back to television was unconventional. After his father died of a heart attack in 2008, he delivered a stirring eulogy that included a memorable moment where he held up a glass of water and said, “For Tim Russert, his glass was always half full.” He then joined NBC News, but faced criticism of nepotism. “I certainly acknowledge that the last name doesn’t hurt,” he told AdWeek at the time. “But I actually have to produce.”
He covered Congress for eight years before leaving in 2016 to travel to over 75 countries across six continents. His memoir, “Look for Me There,” titled after a phrase his father used to describe their meeting places, became a New York Times bestseller.
Now, Russert is leading a new show on MS NOW, which broke away from NBC News last year. The network’s leadership reached out to him this spring, and he signed on to replace Alicia Menendez, who was promoted to a midday slot.
His co-hosts have welcomed him warmly. Sanders Townsend said they bonded over losing their fathers, and Steele recalled sparring with Tim Russert during a 2006 Senate debate. “It’ll be nice to kind of bring it full circle in some respects,” Steele said.
Even “Meet the Press,” his father’s old show, remains relevant. Current moderator Kristen Welker praised Russert, saying, “Luke embodies so much of what people admired about Tim Russert.”
As Russert prepares for fatherhood and a new chapter in his career, he’s focused on the future. “It’s new show and new baby, and I hope they both grow up healthy and well,” he said.
