Kristen Welker has carved a remarkable niche for herself in the competitive realm of news broadcasting.
Her career began shortly after her graduation from Harvard University in 1998, starting at small stations before she joined NBC in 2005 at their affiliate in Philadelphia, her hometown. Welker’s dedication and skill quickly propelled her to the national stage, and by 2011, she was at the White House, covering the most significant political stories of our time. Additionally, she co-anchors the weekend edition of TODAY alongside Peter Alexander, bringing her journalistic expertise to a wider audience. Most recently, she replaced Cuck Todd on Meet The Press.
In 2020, she made history by becoming the second Black woman to moderate a presidential debate solo, following in the footsteps of Carole Simpson. Her performance during the final presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden was widely praised for her ability to maintain order and keep the candidates on topic.
Beyond her professional life, Kristen Welker is married to John Hughes, a marketing executive. The couple wed in March 2017. However, she has openly shared her struggles with infertility, a journey that has resonated with many of her viewers and fans.
In June 2021, Kristen and her husband welcomed their first child, Margot, via surrogacy. This is a joyful milestone that she has described as profoundly life-changing.
“We had setbacks — there was more heartbreak — there were days when I asked myself, ‘Why is this so hard for us? But we kept pushing forward. We did lose another embryo in this process, and we had to deal with the loss of that and the setback and wondering again, was this going to work for us?”
Kristen Welker told Today
As of the latest, Kristen just welcomed her second child, and it’s a boy! The news broke out on the Meet the Press show, where her colleague Peter Alexander shared that Kristen and John had their baby through another surrogate on May 30, and they have named him John Zachary Welker Hughes. Despite these tough times, the couple didn’t give up. They pushed through the heartache because they really wanted to grow their family. And now, with the arrival of baby John Zachary, their persistence has finally paid off.
What’s really heartwarming is how Kristen talks about the surrogates who helped bring her children into the world. Both the surrogates have formed a special bond with the Welker-Hughes family, and Kristen shares that the two surrogates have reached out to each other and now all stay in contact. Huge congratulations to Kristen, John, and their growing “little family”!