Not a rerun: This big name in American news is returning to television

Luke Russert is returning to television, following in the footsteps of his father Tim Russert - once a household name on Sunday mornings in America.

The only son of the TV icon, who died of a heart attack in 2008, is now co-host of 7 p.m. news program "The Weeknight" on lefty MS NOW, the second most-watched U.S. cable news network after right-wing Fox News. It's been a 10-year hiatus from television for him and comes amid shifting attitudes toward cable news shows.

But Russert says wisdom can help the political news landscape.

"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. "You get older. Now I'm 40. You kind of have some years of experience behind you where you're more comfortable sharing your opinions and you feel more grounded in your beliefs."

His father, former moderator of "Meet the Press," revolutionized the Sunday morning news-show format and was the longest-running presenter of the longest-running television show in American history. Luke Russert's re-emergence arrives amid shifting audience trends as U.S. viewers watch more streaming shows.

Cable networks are tapping marquee Millennial talent – such as Russert and CNN's Abby Phillip and Kaitlan Collins – to resuscitate their ratings during Donald Trump's second term. MS NOW has named the second-generation star the anchor of a premier broadcast that will bridge the gap between his dad's era 18 years ago and the future of television.

The younger Russert traded his role as an NBC News congressional correspondent in July 2016 for a decadelong quest to find deeper meaning in faraway destinations. He authored a New York Times bestseller, "Look for Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself," about his personal journeys, globally and in grief.

"Having that time away, I think, really helped me sort of see what matters, explore areas of the human condition that I think often show up in our politics and really develop a sense of empathy and understanding," Russert told USA TODAY. 

As Russert expects his first child with wife Laura Lomelí Russert, he will helm "The Weeknight" 18 years after losing his own father. He stars alongside Symone Sanders Townsend, a Biden-Harris White House communications strategist, and Obama-era Republican Party chairman Michael Steele.

Luke Russert: 'A kid who was always interested in politics'

Russert was raised by the elder Russert and Maureen Orth, the longtime Vanity Fair special correspondent, in Washington with a front row seat to history. Betsy Fischer Martin, a former "Meet the Press" executive producer, recalled the team's first time bringing Luke Russert on the road in 1995. Texas billionaire Ross Perot had launched an independent bid for the presidency. The younger Russert wore a Perot mask to meet the deceased Dallas magnate.

A producer-turned-American University professor, Fischer Martin recalled Russert as "a kid who was always interested in politics and what was going on." The elder Russert anchored "MTP" during his childhood. Once a Democratic political staffer, then a television executive, Tim Russert was the son of Betty and Tim "Big Russ" Russert Sr., a Buffalo, New York garbage collector he called on the phone after every broadcast.

Another past "MTP" executive producer, Barbara Cochran, said Tim Russert doubled-down on long interviews that focused on coverage of Washington as pressure heightened to shorten segments and reach beyond the Beltway.

"Meet the Press" was at its apex during the elder Russert's tenure, according to former "Inside Edition" correspondent Les Trent, who also hailed from Buffalo and later covered Russert's funeral.

"Buffalonians are hard scrabble folks," Trent said. "We are known for enduring harsh weather. We're known for enduring Super Bowl losses, even though everyone still loves the Buffalo Bills."

Russert "had great journalistic chops," Trent said of his fellow Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Famer. "You combine that with the everyman from Buffalo type of approach to life and I think that's why he was so popular," Trent added.

The program matured from a half-hour broadcast to an hourlong ratings heavyweight during Tim Russert's 17 years as moderator. Luke Russert joined his father for major political conventions and occasional shows on the road, Fischer Martin said. "He was there, he was observing, he was asking questions and he was just always very respectful of the whole process and what was going on in the show," Fischer Martin said.

Luke Russert traveled to foreign countries in grief

Russert later attended Boston College and graduated in 2008. His father died June 13 that year.

Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton attended memorials. The younger Russert delivered an electrifying eulogy at a public service. At one point during his speech, Russert left the podium to pour a glass of water. He returned and raised the glass up at eye level. "When I hold this up, some of you see glass half empty. Some of you see glass half full," Russert said at a June 18 service. "For Tim Russert, his glass was always half full." Russert joined NBC News that August.

Some online critics complained about nepotism in his hiring. He talked to AdWeek at the time about overcoming the claims. "I certainly acknowledge that the last name doesn't hurt," Russert said. But, he explained, "I actually have to produce." For eight years, he covered Congress at NBC. Backlash followed.

Not everyone likes him. Big names and big faces on television are bound to have their critics. Conservative radio host Mark Levin posted on X that "Luke Russert is a moron" in 2015. That same year, former National Public Radio host Ken Rudin joked that it's disgraceful that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is married to President Bill Clinton, or ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a son and grandson of presidents, should get the presidency via inheritance. "More later on this subject from Luke Russert and Chris Cuomo," Rudin said.

In July 2016, four months before Trump was elected president, Russert left his family's longtime home at NBC. "It's fair to say my broadcast career began in an unusual way after college graduation and the death of my father," a statement read. "As a result, I threw myself into the work and never took the time to reflect."

He has globe-trotted through six continents, such as Europe and Asia, and over 75 countries including Cambodia, Colombia and Ecuador. The criticism continued. Ann Coulter wrote on X in September 2018 that Russert would not have a job if his name were anything other than Russert. "Wait, he DOESN'T have a job? My mistake," she added.

Russert's memoir, "Look for Me There," titled after a term his dad used to describe their father-son meeting places, debuted in May 2023. That December, he joined MSNBC as host and director of live events.

MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, now known as "My Source for News, Opinion, and the World," debuted independently from NBC News in November last year. The channel broke off from its former parent company, Comcast NBCUniversal, and moved under Versant, an independent publicly traded media company.

This spring, Russert received a call from leadership at MS NOW, steered by former CNN executive Rebecca Kutler. "They said, 'We're not promising anything, but would you be open to possibly doing this?'" Russert recalled.

Luke Russert looks ahead

The liberal Daily Beast referred to Russert as a "nepo baby" in a headline response to his March hiring announcement. Syracuse University professor Anthony Adornato said that Russert's public profile makes him a recognizable figure, and it will be interesting to see how MS NOW builds upon his on-air presence.

MS NOW has found success in the second Trump era, but Adornato said America's viewership habits have evolved since Tim Russert's death in 2008. The news business now operates in a filter bubble where people can select what they want to see, the Syracuse broadcast journalism department chair explained.

"The algorithms are feeding what they believe and kind of not informing them but just making them feel good because it confirms their beliefs," Adornato said of viewers.

Russert replaced Alicia Menendez, the daughter of embattled former New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, on June 15. Menendez was promoted and will now anchor "On the Line" weekdays from 12 to 2 p.m. ET.

His new co-hosts seem thrilled about Russert's new role. Russert and Sanders Townsend have bonded over losing their fathers. He shared a copy of "Look for Me There" with the former Harris advisor that contained a personalized note, she said. "That's just the kind of person that he is," Sanders Townsend continued.

Steele once sparred with Russert's father, who moderated a 2006 Maryland Senate debate when he was the Republican opponent to former Sen. Ben Cardin. "It'll be nice to kind of bring it full circle in some respects," Steele said.

Life is coming full circle for the younger Russert. "Meet the Press," his father's old stomping grounds, is still making news. Trump stormed out of a June 7 interview with current moderator Kristen Welker in Wisconsin. "Luke embodies so much of what people admired about Tim Russert," Welker said in a statement to USA TODAY.

The following week marked the 18th anniversary of Tim Russert's passing. His son spent Father's Day weekend at the star-studded June 18 celebrations for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.

He posed in photos with Stevie Wonder and David Letterman, American icons like his dad. The Russert baby is due in late July, and he does not yet know the gender. His wife, Laura, prefers to learn at birth.

"It's new show and new baby, and I hope they both grow up healthy and well," Russert said. He has spent two full weeks as host of "The Weeknight." His first child can look for him there: At the anchor desk, on MS NOW.