Mary Louise Kelly leaves NPR's All Things Considered after 26 years
The longtime journalist and host says goodbye to her regular chair but will continue working for the network.
By Grace Sullivan ·
Mary Louise Kelly stepped away from her role as a host of NPR's All Things Considered on Thursday. She is leaving the show after 26 years of involvement with the network, though she will continue to contribute to NPR programming. Her co-hosts Ailsa Chang, Scott Detrow, and Juana Summers led the final broadcast to say goodbye to the audience.
Kelly first joined NPR in 2001. She walked into the office of longtime host Robert Siegel for an interview for the editor position. Siegel recalled being impressed by her. He called the executive producer before she left the building to recommend her for the job. She edited the show for three years before returning to reporting. During that time, she launched NPR's intelligence beat.
Colleagues described her approach as precise and determined. Bruce Auster, one of her editors, noted that she believed in bearing witness to events. He pointed to a trip to Afghanistan with then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates as an example. Kelly filed stories from helicopters, describing Marines and mud huts as the plane landed and took off. Auster said the work captured the moment effectively.
Kelly also interviewed powerful figures on the show. In 2017, she questioned then-NPR CEO Jarl Mohn about a newsroom sexual harassment scandal. She was a guest host at the time. Editor Renita Jablonski watched from behind the studio glass. Jablonski described Kelly as calm and focused while pressing Mohn for answers. The interview aired unedited.
Her most famous exchange occurred in 2020 with then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Kelly pressed him about the treatment of ousted ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. Pompeo cut her off, saying, 'Mary, I've said all I'm going to say today. Thank you.' A staffer eventually ended the interview. Pompeo's office later claimed the post-interview conversation was off the record.
Kelly explained the aftermath on air that same day. She described Pompeo asking if she could find Ukraine on a map. She pointed to the country on a blank map he brought in. Pompeo's office later implied she pointed to Bangladesh, which is 3,000 miles away. Kelly said her reporting relies on verification rather than trust.
Kelly concluded her final broadcast by thanking the listeners. She said, 'I'm Mary Louise Kelly. Thank you for listening to All Things Considered from NPR News.' Her co-hosts joined her in the studio for the sign-off.
