NBC News’ Kerry Sanders to retire after 32 years

‘Since 1981, Kerry Sanders has been fearlessly reporting on stories around the planet’

Kerry Sanders (NBC News)

Kerry Sanders has announced his retirement from NBC News after 32 years.

The 62-year-old news correspondent first joined the network in 1991, after working as a reporter for NBC’s affiliate WTVJ in Miami.

Appearing on the Today show on Tuesday morning (17 January), alongside fellow hosts Jenna Bush, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, Craig Melvin and Carson Daly, Sanders was honoured for his 32 years of “fearlessly reporting stories around the planet”.

After broadcasting a highlight reel of Sander’s “illustrious career” – including on-air clips of him jumping out of a helicopter, ziplining across snowy mountains, and rock climbing – Sanders shared a few words about what he would “miss most”.

“Ultimately, it’s the camaraderie and the family, because this is a daily, high-energy experience,” he said.

Sanders praised his wife Deborah for being “an amazing supporter”, before explaining his decision to exit the network: “We kind of sat and said, ‘This might be the right time,’ because during the pandemic, we weren’t going anywhere as you all know, and we realised we do really good together all the time, so maybe that is what we should do now.”

Although he is based in Florida, Sanders said he travels around the world for nearly 200 days out of the year.

Some of his biggest stories took him to Iraq where he worked as an embed with the US Marines following the 2003 US invasion. He has since also reported on the Parkland school shooting and the killing of Trayvon Martin.

He also covered Hurricane Andrew and Hurricane Katrina, as well as the 2000 Florida recount.

Over the course of his career, Sanders has been a part of reporting teams, which have won several Emmys and Peabodys. He has also won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the National Headliner Award.

In 1994, Sanders’s reporting on a military coup in Haiti earned him the Alfred I duPont-Columbia award, which recognises excellence in broadcast and digital journalism in the public service.