The election analyst originally planned to stay on the Tuesday, Nov. 3, live broadcast for 13 hours
NBC News’ Steve Kornacki addressed the “abrupt” end to his midterm election coverage livestream.
Just over 10 hours into his Kornacki Cam livestream covering election night, Kornacki, 47, walked off set, ending the live broadcast that was originally planned to be 13 hours long. Around 3:26 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4, Kornacki turned to the cameras and said, “Okay, folks, we’re going to keep it on.”
“I am going to take one more break. I just need to take about five minutes here, but I’ll be right back,” the election analyst said.
Once he stepped away from his post and walked out of frame, the camera turned to the studio for a few moments before cutting off.
Shortly after, Kornacki went on social media to explain why he left the livestream. “I was sure 13 hours would be fine but things caught up to me in a hurry at hour 10,” Kornacki wrote in a statement shared to X. “I can’t say thanks enough to all of you. What a ride and I think we did make livestream history.” He added, “Sorry for the abrupt ending!”
Kornacki’s 2026 election night livestream became the No. 1 election livestream on YouTube, drawing a “record 29 million views across all platforms,” according to an NBC News press release. “Featuring 10.5 hours of nonstop coverage, the unfiltered, behind-the-scenes livestream gave viewers a continuous look at Steve Kornacki as he tracked and analyzed election results throughout the night,” the press release continued.
The on-air personality celebrated the success of Kornacki Cam, writing, “Pure gratitude for all of you who watched last night. This started as an experiment with a House special election last year and turned into this.” Kornacki Cam was launched in March for political junkies who favor the data analyst keeping them informed through every minute of election night.
“It’s liberating,” Kornacki told The Hollywood Reporter of the livestream at the time. “I think typically on an election night, there’s a certain bar that I would have to reach with the election returns to get the producer’s attention, to get me on the air with the result. Doing it this way, on this livestream, there is no bar. Every result makes air. Every county result makes air. Every little twist and turn makes air.”