NBC News star Steve Kornacki explains why he abruptly walked off set during live election coverage
Steve Kornacki walks off set during NBC News’ election coverageCredit: NBC News/Instagram (2)Key Points
NBC News star Steve Kornacki abruptly walked off set during the network’s live election coverage 10 hours into a planned 13-hour livestream.
Kornacki said he needed “to take about five minutes” at around 3:26 a.m. local time.
The on-air personality later explained in a social media post why he left.
NBC News personality Steve Kornacki has addressed his abrupt exit during the network’s live coverage of the midterm elections on TV and via his simultaneous Kornacki Cam livestream.
The longtime election analyst was just over 10 hours into a planned 13-hour livestream when walked off set early Wednesday morning.
“Okay, folks, we’re going to keep it on,” he said at around 3:26 a.m. local time. “I am going to take one more break. I just need to take about five minutes here, but I’ll be right back.”
Election analyst Steve Kornacki
Kornacki then motioned to an off-camera person, indicating that he was walking away from his post in front of the camera. The shot then lingered on the studio for a few moments.
In a follow-up post on social media, Kornacki explained roughly 30 minutes later why he stepped away.
“I was sure 13 hours would be fine but things caught up to me in a hurry at hour 10,” Kornacki wrote on X.
He added, “I can’t say thanks enough to all of you. What a ride and I think we did make livestream history. Sorry for the abrupt ending!”
Kornacki began hosting the Kornacki Cam YouTube segment in 2025, and on Tuesday mounted a 10-and-a-half-hour marathon livestream covering election results.
According to an NBC News press release, Kornacki Cam drew “29 million views across all platforms,” making it the No. 1 election livestream of the 2026 midterm cycle.
Outside of his abrupt departure, Kornacki celebrated the Kornacki Cam success, writing on X: “Pure gratitude for all of you who watched last night. This started as an experiment with a House special election last year and turned into this.”
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Tuesday’s midterm election saw a blue wave sweep the nation, with major Democrat wins in key states. The party was able to flip the House and Senate in its favor, as well as establish other gubernatorial and/or Senate victories in traditionally red or swing states like Texas, Ohio, and more.
Source: Entertainment
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