Ari Shapiro, ‘All Things Considered’ co-host, is exiting NPR amid funding cuts

Ari Shapiro, one of the core voices of NPR, will depart the network in late September, the latest major exit from the outlet since Congress stripped federal funding for public broadcasters.

In a Tuesday morning memo to staffers, NPR news chief Edith Chapin announced that Shapiro will host his final edition of “All Things Considered,” NPR’s flagship daily afternoon news program, on September 26 — around the time he celebrates the 10-year mark at the network.

“Several months ago,” Chapin wrote, “Ari came to us to say that the milestone was an amazing capstone to his career here, and it felt like the right time for him to try something new.”

In a Substack post, Shapiro wrote that his departure “has nothing to do with the challenges facing public radio, the news media, or the country.”

He added: “Those are real and profound, and I plan to continue engaging with them in meaningful ways. But they aren’t informing this transition.”

“Working at NPR has been a wild privilege,” Shapiro continued. “Since I became a host of All Things Considered, I’ve kept the original 1970 mission statement from founder Bill Siemering taped in view of my desk. I especially love the part that says we ‘will encourage a sense of active constructive participation rather than apathetic helplessness.’”

Following his exit, Shapiro said, he will go on tour with the multi-genre band Pink Martini. He’s been a guest singer with the band for almost 20 years.

Shapiro is the latest high-profile staffer to announce their exit from NPR. In late July, just days after Congress voted to kill funding for public broadcasters, Chapin announced she’d step down in the fall. And last week, one of NPR’s “founding mothers,” Susan Stamberg, announced her retirement, starting September 1.

In her memo on Wednesday, Chapin wrote that she and Shapiro have “discussed keeping the door open for any opportunities to work together on specific projects in the future.”

She added that “next steps” to fill Shapiro’s host chair will likely be announced next week.