Steve Kornacki is sticking with the Peacock.
The political correspondent, known for wearing his iconic khakis during election coverage, will be exiting MSNBC amid Comcast’s plans to spin off many of its cable networks, However, Steve will be staying loyal to NBC News, the network confirmed April 1, as a contributor and chief data analyst for Meet the Press as well as NBC Sports.
Over the past 13 years, Steve has left a memorable legacy within MSNBC, having earned titles like “map daddy” and “chartthrob.” And when it came to the 2024 presidential election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, he had no shortage of fans—including Chrissy Tiegen and Leslie Jones—tuning in to watch their “internet boyfriend” deliver the latest updates.
“Steve Kornacki in them khakis! Wooooooo!” the Saturday Night Live alum said on Today last year. “OK, first of all, Steve Kornacki is the sexiest nerd on TV.”
After all, he was featured in People’s 2020 Sexiest Man Alive issue, even though he’s jokingly denied the credibility of that vote.
“You want to talk about where there might be vote fraud and where there might be tabulation errors,” Steve quipped on an episode of The Rich Eisen Show at the time. “Whoever added that up for that People magazine thing, I don’t know how I got on that list. I tell people, 'They got the alive part right.'"
As for how the 45-year-old powers through hours of tireless coverage along with being the internet’s full-time boyfriend? Well, it involves an abundance of sorting through and understanding data.
“It’s a lot of spreadsheets, a lot of numbers, a lot of trying to memorize things,” Steve said on Today last November. “I say 99 percent of what I prepare for I will never put on the air, but you don’t know what that 1 percent is.”
And to make all that preparation possible before the energy from his fans fills him with adrenaline, he relies on a little bit of help.
“I'll drink a ton of Diet Coke,” he admitted to GQ in 2020. “I couldn't even tell you how many. It’s just sort of a constant supply.”
“On a normal day, I'll have a couple,” he continued. “But on election night, I just keep it nearby and I’m just kind of regularly using it. These days [people] all tell you, ‘Oh, do you know what's in that?’ And I say, ‘Well, no I don't.’ But I guess it is supposed to be bad for you.”
As Steve prepares for his new career venture, take a look back at his best khaki moments…
(E! and MSNBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
The Man With the Pants
Meet Steve Kornacki: journalist, Massachusetts native, khaki lover.
The Steve Kornacki Ensemble
Much like his penchant for khaki pants, Kornacki also enjoys a striped tie and rolled up sleeves.
Hello, Khakis!
Ah, a fancier version of the signature Kornacki ensemble.
A Man and His Map
Behold the joy of Kornacki with his map board.
Team Khakis
And Kornacki doesn't just wear his khakis on election night. He also kicked off the 2022 football season in the classic pants.
Game Time Ready
You better believe his outfit for March Madness 2023 was also a slam dunk.
New Year, Same Pants
Kornacki rang in the new year in his time-honored trousers.
Nobody Puts the Khakis in the Corner
*BRB, just printing this one out for the fridge*