Carson Daly has been named the permanent co-anchor of NBC’s Saturday Today, officially stepping into the role on November 7, 2026. The announcement marks the end of a two-month search for a permanent successor to Peter Alexander and signals a significant expansion of Daly’s presence across the network’s news and entertainment divisions.
Daly, who has served as the interim Saturday co-anchor since September 2026, joins a permanent weekend team that includes co-anchor Laura Jarrett, Joe Fryer, and meteorologist Angie Lassman. The transition marks Daly’s new solidified position on the weekend desk alongside his long-standing weekday duties.
Transitioning to a Personality-Driven Weekend
The move to make Daly a permanent fixture on Saturday Today reflects a shift toward a more personality-driven broadcast for the weekend edition. While many anchors transition between news and entertainment, Daly’s new schedule will see him maintaining a six-day work week. He will continue his current roles on the weekday Today show, including his signature “Pop Start” segments, while anchoring the two-hour Saturday morning block.
Daly fills the vacancy left by Peter Alexander, who departed the weekend program in March 2026. Alexander’s move was part of a broader shift within the network following the Comcast spinoff of its cable assets into a new entity known as Versant. Alexander joined MS NOW—the rebranded identity for MSNBC under the new corporate structure—a move he previously indicated would allow him to prioritize family time while focusing on cable news.
Balancing Today and The Voice
To accommodate the demands of a nearly week-long news schedule, Daly is adjusting his commitments elsewhere at the network. According to reporting from The Independent, Daly remains a staple of NBC’s lineup, but his hosting duties will see some modification to prevent burnout.
While he remains the host for Season 30 of the flagship competition series The Voice, he is expected to take a temporary step back from hosting duties for the celebrity-format spinoff. Keke Palmer is slated to take over as host for Season 31 of The Voice: Celebrity in 2027, though Daly will retain his role as an executive producer on that edition.
This strategic shift allows Daly to remain the face of NBC’s major entertainment properties while deepening his roots in the news division. Libby Leist, Executive Vice President of Today, and longtime anchor Savannah Guthrie have expressed support for the transition, noting that Daly’s familiarity with the audience and established chemistry with the existing team made him the natural choice for the permanent appointment.