Why Maria Taylor isn't hosting NBC's Football Night in America and was replaced by Ahmed Fareed

If you’re wondering why the familiar face of Maria Taylor isn’t on NBC’s Football Night in America the rest of the 2023 NFL season, you’ve come to the right place.

There’s a really good reason she’s missing and Ahmed Fareed is the Sunday night host instead for the show going forward: It’s because Taylor is on parental leave after giving birth to a baby boy. Before that, her crew at the NBC NFL show gave her a great sendoff with videos from her colleagues congratulating her and her family.

Check it out below and, more importantly, congrats to Taylor and the whole family:

The NFL on NBC crew put a video together for Maria Taylor.

Sunday night's game will be Taylor's last of the season before she heads out on maternity leave. pic.twitter.com/1QDQgnMXZb

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 18, 2023