Peter Alexander Temporarily Replaces Kristen Welker on ‘Meet the Press’ as She Welcomes Baby No. 2

Peter Alexander stepped in for Kristen Welker on Meet the Press on June 2 as she welcomed her second child via surrogate.

The former Weekend Today cohost praised Peter, 47, for temporarily moderating the weekly news program in her absence.

“Thank you [Peter] for holding things down on Meet the Press so I can be with my family! You crushed it … of course!” Kristen, 47, wrote in a post in her Instagram Stories.

Once on-air for the episode, Peter announced the arrival of Kristen’s son and revealed his name — John Zachary.

⁠”The Meet the Press family officially has a new member,” the NBC News chief White House correspondent told the audience.

“John Zachary’s big sister Margot, as you can imagine, she is extremely proud, welcoming home her baby brother yesterday,” he added. “Kristen shares her surrogate, who she calls her ‘angel on earth,’ is doing great.”

“From all of us here at Meet the Press, a huge congratulations to Kristen and John and Margo and all the grandparents,” Peter said. “And to John Zachary, we know you’re watching, we can’t wait to meet you.”

Kristen shares John Zachary with her husband, John Hughes. The pair are also parents to daughter Margot Lane, whom they welcomed via surrogate in June 2021. Margot will turn 3 on June 12 and was so excited to be getting a baby brother.

“Margot has told all of her schoolmates that her parents are getting her a baby brother for her birthday!” Kristen told TODAY.com last month.

The mom of two has always been very open about her infertility journey and her path to motherhood over the years.

“I feel like in the past few years, I’ve learned that it was worth it. All of the tears, the struggle, the heartache were all worth it to have Margot,” she told People in April 2023. “And every morning when I wake up to her little face, standing up in her crib waiting for me, I can’t wait to just hug her and hold her. And that reminds me that it was all worth it.”

The journalist offered some words of encouragement for those experiencing the same thing.

“That really is my message to other families who are going through infertility: when you feel alone, when you feel hopeless, do not give up, keep pushing forward because it is so worth it in the end,” she added.