Former NBC Anchor Lynn Smith Reveals Why She Said Goodbye To TV and Put Family First

usmagazine.com:

Changing course. Lynn Smith opened up about the factors that led her to leave her career as a news anchor behind — and why she’s more fulfilled than ever.Smith, 43, had a long career in television before she was ever in front of the camera.

In 2001, she kicked things off as an NBC page before she was hired to be an assistant to NBC executives and later, a producer at Today.

All three positions opened doors to unforgettable experiences for the TV personality.“As a page, I sat people at the Tonight Show.

I went to the taping of the Friends finale, then to the wrap party,” she exclusively tells Us Weekly. “I ran through the plaza at 30 Rock for Katie Couric‘s epic farewell at Today.”The On the Story alum eventually took on coveted gigs as an anchor for NBC News, MSNBC and CNN Headline News, where she covered major world events as they unfolded — including the Japan tsunami, natural disasters and “far too many mass shootings.”While she frequently reported on tragedies, Smith sought to give her audience hope.The former anchor — who interviewed stars including Dolly Parton and John Legend, cooked with legendary chef Masaharu Morimoto and flew an airplane — “learned that while the news can be very hard and often heavy, we also hope to bring viewers joy and share important stories of people doing good things,” she shares.Still, when the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic hit, the mom of two found herself at a crossroads. “I felt if I wasn’t making the impact I wanted to make, then I needed to make a change,” Smith — who shares sons Lochlan, 6, and Ryder, 3, with husband Graham Smith — says. “I wanted to know that if I was going to be a working mom, I wanted to be the most present mom I could be for them while showing them what it