Kasie Hunt Announces Exit from NBC News and MSNBC: This Is 'My Final Broadcast'

William B. Plowman/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty

Kasie Hunt is parting ways from her roles at NBC News and MSNBC.

Hunt, 36, shared "a little bit of bittersweet news" while hosting Friday's episode of MSNBC's Way Too Early. "This is going to be my final broadcast with all of you up way too early," she said.

"I really loved spending most of the last year with all of you, seeing pictures of your pets and your babies and learning why you're awake and watching. And, of course, bringing you the news," she continued.

The journalist shared that she'll "have more on my next adventure coming up in the next few weeks. But, for now, I just want to say thank you to everyone at NBC News [and] at MSNBC. Of course, to [my Morning Joe co-host] Mika [Brzezinski], for always insisting that you should know your value."

She additionally thanked "the amazing teams" who help to put on Way Too Early. "They do an amazing job putting together four hours of TV and they make it look easy for all of us," she said. "I promise you, it really isn't."

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Before closing the episode, Hunt gave a special shout-out to all of the show's supporters. She concluded, "Thank you to all of you for getting up way too early with us on this Friday morning and all of the other mornings that you've been here as well."

While co-hosting Morning Joe on Friday, her co-host's Brzezinski and Willie Geist bid her farewell. "Kasie, you're flying the coop," Brzezinski, 54, said after a highlight reel of Hunt's time at MSNBC and NBC News aired. "I'm heartbroken and I'm also really proud of you. Are you going to miss us?"

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While tearing up, Hunt responded: "You're going to make me cry. Yes, this show has been a family for me at NBC. And the way that you and Joe [Scarborough] and Willie have helped me learn and grow and get better every day for all the years that we've been working together has just meant the absolute world to me."

Hunt said that she's "really excited" about what's next for her in her career and that "now is just the right time" for her to "take a leap." She added, "I'm so sad this is my last day on Morning Joe, I can't even tell you."

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Geist, for his part, told Hunt that she's "a little sister" to him and someone that he looks up to professionally. "People ask, 'How do we prepare for this show?' Well, it's constant but our day starts preparing by listening to you from 5 to 6 [in the morning]," Geist, 46, continued. "You set the table. You are a role model for a lot of people at our news division [and] a lot of people in our business for how hard you work and for the kind of reporting you do and what you bring from 5 in the morning to 11 o'clock at night."

"And we will miss you dearly, but as a little sister [to me], you're also proud to watch her go on and take the next step and watch her get a new job that she's excited about," he added.

Hunt has been with NBC News since 2013 and later became a political correspondent for MSNBC in 2014. She began hosting her own talk show, Kasie DC, from 2017 until last September. From there, she became the anchor of MSNBC's Way Too Early.

According to Variety, Hunt — who has also previously worked for Politico and Associated Press — is reportedly heading to CNN "to focus largely on content that is produced for streaming viewers as part of a big bet being made by Jeff Zucker, president of CNN."

Hunt did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.