NBC Taps Maria Taylor as Host of ‘Football Night in America’

Maria Taylor is the new host of NBC’s NFL pregame show Football Night in America.

The broadcaster, who joined NBC Sports last summer, succeeds Mike Tirico, who was recently named the lead play-by-play announcer on Sunday Night Football. She had joined the program as a co-host last year. Football Night in America is one of the most-watched programs in the country, averaging more than 7 million viewers last season.

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In addition to her new hosting role, Taylor is also producing an 8-part documentary series on the history of the Black quarterback in the NFL, which will stream on Peacock, NBC Sports says.

Taylor has quickly become one of NBC’s most high-profile sports personalities, hosting coverage of the Tokyo Olympics and Beijing Winter Olympics, as well as the pregame show during this year’s Super Bowl, which NBC broadcast. At ESPN, she served as a host and reporter, working on the NFL Draft and NBA Finals, among other assignments.

“Maria is the perfect choice to carry the legacy forward of anchoring the most-watched studio show in sports,” NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood said in a statement.

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