NBC News’ chief Washington and chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell has been tapped to receive this year’s Peabody Career Achievement Award, while long-running NBC late-night sketch comedy series “Saturday Night Live” will be recognized with Peabody’s Institutional Award, the org announced Tuesday.
Both Mitchell and “SNL,” which is wrapping its landmark 50th season, will be given the honors at the 85th annual Peabody Awards ceremony on June 1 in Beverly Hills at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. As previously announced, the event will be hosted by comedian Roy Wood, Jr., the former long-time correspondent on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” who is now host of CNN’s comedy talker “Have I Got News for You.”
In recognizing Mitchell, Peabody noted that she has spent more than five decades at NBC News, including 30 years as its chief foreign affairs correspondent. She has won a Peabody
Award for her coverage of the Texas abortion ban, and in 2019 received the Lifetime Achievement
Award from the Television Academy. She’s covered eight White House administrations and 12 presidential races, among other feats.
Previous Peabody Career Achievement honorees have included Mel Brooks, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno, Dan Rather, Cicely Tyson and Carol Burnett.
“Andrea Mitchell has been setting the standard for news correspondents with unparalleled coverage of politics and foreign policy for more than three decades,” said Peabody executive director Jeffrey Jones. “She has quite literally traveled the globe to bring us stories that have shaped history.”
As for “SNL,” the org noted that over the course of the show’s five decades, mostly under creator and exec producer Lorne Michaels, it was won 101 Emmys, six Writers Guild of America Awards and three Peabody Awards.
“The series has also satirized presidents and politicians from both major political parties, entertaining millions with sharp writing about the American political landscape,” the org noted. “Its ripped-from-the-headlines cold opens and longtime ‘Weekend Update’ newsbreak remain the most viral moments in any given week.” Previous Institutional Award honorees include “Star Trek,” “The Simpsons,” “60 Minutes,” “Fresh Air with Terry Gross” and “Sesame Street.”
Said Jones: “‘Saturday Night Live’ is a cultural touchstone that has kept audiences
tuning in for Give decades through its cutting-edge sketch comedy, pinpoint political satire,
and always relevant musical guests.”
Peabody, which is based at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia, honors programming in the categories of entertainment, documentary, news, podcast/radio, arts, children’s and youth, immersive and interactive media, and public service programming. Nominees for this year’s awards will be announced on April 15 and April 17, while winners will be revealed on May 1. Bob Bain Prods. will produce the 2025 ceremony.
