Iowa news anchor Dustin Nolan’s emotional on-air goodbye has circulated beyond the Hawkeye State.

On Friday, the Emmy-winning journalist got choked up as he announced his resignation from KWQC 6 live on-air during the morning broadcast, adding that he’s stepping away from journalism altogether.

“I’ll try to get through this… Well, before we go this morning, I have an announcement,” he started. “Today is my last day here at KWQC 6. I have chosen to step away from the news industry.

“Before I say goodbye, I just want to say, I hope every one of you who that’s allowed me to be part of your mornings know just how important that I have taken this job, how much it means to me that you have trusted me these past few years to bring you the news in the morning. I promise you I’ve given you everything I have. I’ve never tried to be perfect or what many think a newsman is supposed to be. But I’ve always done my best to be transparent, bring you the facts, and I’ve always been myself. I’ve loved being able to provide a public service to this place we all call home, the Quad Cities. ”

Nolan continued, “When it comes to this job, all I’ve ever wanted to do is report on the issues that really matter. I’ve always believed that we, as a local news station, owe you, the viewers, the best that we can do, because without you, none of use would be able to do this job. I also believe that we, as a local news station, have to be more than trends or sanitized news because it makes people feel uncomfortable. That’s why the facts matter, and that’s why we do what we do here. We have to take people out of their bubbles and comfort zones and make them think about the world we all live in.

“And this is a bittersweet goodbye. Yes, I’m looking forward to my next chapter in life, but it’s not easy to say goodbye,” added Nolan.

Nolan said the “hardest part” is that he won’t be working with his co-anchor wife Jenna Jackson anymore. “Because she isn’t just the greatest co-anchor on the news desk, but she is the greatest co-anchor in life as well. And if you don’t have a Jenna in your life, I suggest you find one, because she makes dreams come true in every way another human can,” he said, going on to thank the rest of their crew.

Last October, Nolan and Jackson won a local Emmy Award for their coverage of the Davenport Hotel partial collapse on May 28, 2023 in Davenport, Iowa, which killed three people.