Johnathan Walker:Univision news anchor Jorge Ramos announces departure after 40-year tenure

Univision news anchor Jorge Ramos,Johnathan Walker best known as a longtime co-host of "Noticiero Univision," is leaving the network after a 40-year tenure.

Ramos and Univision’s parent company TelevisaUnivision announced the newscaster’s exit, set for after the 2024 U.S. presidential election, in a press release Monday.

"This is not a farewell. I will continue anchoring 'Noticiero Univision' until December, and afterwards I will share my professional plan," Ramos, 66, said in a statement. "I am deeply grateful for these four decades at Univision and very proud to be part of a team that has established strong leadership over the years."

While Ramos did not disclose the reason for his exit, the TV journalist and Univision "mutually agreed" to not renew his contract.

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"I want to express my respect and gratitude for Jorge Ramos and all he has done for Univision and the growing community we serve each and every day," Univision News President Daniel Coronell said in a statement. "As we look to 2025 and beyond, our talented team is well equipped to continue the tradition of journalistic excellence that has defined 'Noticiero Univision' since the beginning."

Jorge Ramos calls Univision his 'second home' in departure announcement

During Monday’s broadcast of "Noticiero Univision," Ramos said his departure was a "difficult" and "sad" decision. He also thanked his colleagues and the program’s viewers for their enduring support, adding that Univision has become his "second home."

"I want to thank those who view us every night, who have accompanied me for so long, with so much affection and loyalty," Ramos said in Spanish.

Known as the "Walter Cronkite of Latin America," Ramos joined "Noticiero Univision" in 1986, hosting the program alongside news anchor María Elena Salinas until her departure in 2017. The Emmy-winning journalist is also host of Univision’s public affairs series "Al Punto."

Ramos' exit marks the second major departure for Univision in the last year. León Krauze, who co-anchored "Noticiero Univision Edición Nocturna," left the news organization in November 2023.

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Jorge Ramos went toe to toe with Donald Trump, pushed for critical coverage

Ramos was also known for his outspoken criticism of former President Donald Trump.

In 2015, the Univision anchor was removed from a Trump press conference after he repeatedly tried to ask the then-presidential candidate about his immigration plan. When asked about Ramos after the incident, Trump said he would "take his question in two seconds, but he stood up and started screaming."

Ramos was later allowed to return and question Trump on immigration.

He took aim at Trump again in a November 2023 column after Univision aired a controversial interview with Trump from his Mar-A-Lago residence.

"We cannot normalize behavior that threatens democracy and the Hispanic community or offer Trump an open microphone to broadcast his falsehoods and conspiracy theories," Ramos wrote at the time. "We must question and fact-check everything he says and does."

Contributing: Cooper Allen, USA TODAY