The Real Reason Rene Knott Left KSDK

Longtime KSDK morning anchor Rene Knott is out, and the way it went down is... not subtle. After 21 years on air with the station and a reputation for being the friendly morning guy, he says he was asked to resign in the span of a few days following an HR investigation. Here is how it unfolded and why this is messier than the quick announcement made it sound.

The fast timeline

• Oct. 9, 2025: Knott says his supervisor told him to skip work and hop on a FaceTime with HR.
• That call: He was questioned about alleged comments involving violence and guns, including an apparent reference to "getting his AK-47." He denies ever saying anything like that, beyond discussing firearms when news stories required it.
• He says HR also asked about jokes he allegedly made about "kicking coworkers' a--." He calls them harmless and says no one had complained to him before.
• Shortly after: According to Knott, corporate parent Tegna applied a zero-tolerance policy and asked him to resign during a quick follow-up call.
• Oct. 15, 2025: Six days after that first HR chat, Knott says he was brought in for a short meeting and told he was done.
• That Friday during the 6 a.m. hour: KSDK confirmed on-air that he was leaving. Traffic reporter Paul Cook delivered the announcement on Today in St. Louis.

What Knott says happened

Knott flatly denies making violent or gun-related comments. He told local media he has never handled a gun and only ever referenced them in the context of news coverage. He also says those workplace tough-guy jokes were just that: jokes.

He says Tegna hit the zero-tolerance button and gave him the resign-or-else call that lasted only a few minutes. He chose to walk.

"I said to myself, 'Well, if no one believes me after all these years, why would I want to work in that environment?' Why would I work with people who are saying these things about me now?"

Knott also says he has never received a negative review in more than two decades at the station and that his only contact with HR was waving in the hallway.

What others around the newsroom were saying

Some former coworkers told local outlets they had grown uneasy in recent months, saying Knott seemed stressed and occasionally made odd comments that worried people. Others pointed to a different kind of pressure: management leaning hard on him to lift ratings and spin up more streaming content. Knott chalks the whole thing up to a misunderstanding in a changing workplace: "I think we have had a lot of change from people who do not basically know me."

The on-air confirmation and viewer reaction

After the internal meeting that ended his tenure on Oct. 15, the station made it official on Friday morning TV. Online, the reaction was immediate and loud, with viewers praising Knott for being unfailingly kind and professional on and off camera. He posted an emotional Facebook video talking through the situation.

The bigger context that makes this sting

Here is the part that makes the timing feel especially brutal: In mid-2025, KSDK had internally tapped Knott to take over the 5 p.m. newscast, positioning him as a potential successor to veteran anchor Mike Bush. Then new leadership arrived over the summer, that plan reportedly stalled out, and there were rumblings that some staff did not want to work with him. Weeks later, he was gone.

Bottom line: A 21-year run ended after a FaceTime, a couple short calls, and a policy line drawn by corporate. Whether you buy the allegations or not, that is a whiplash finish for one of St. Louis TV's most recognizable morning voices.