William Bonner bid farewell to Jornal Nacional on the night of October 31, 2025, after nearly 30 years as anchor and editor-in-chief. He hands over to César Tralli and prepares to join Globo Repórter alongside Sandra Annenberg from 2026. In the emotional goodbye, Bonner stressed the need to focus on facts amid polarization.
The October 31, 2025, edition of Jornal Nacional marked the end of an era for 61-year-old William Bonner, who anchored the Globo newscast for 29 years and served as editor-in-chief for 26. Bonner, who joined the network in 1986, announced his departure two months earlier after five years of successor planning. He cited a desire for more family time — married to Natasha Dantas since 2018 and father to three adult children from a previous marriage — and a less intense routine than daily journalism, which exposed him to hostility due to political polarization.
In the Rio de Janeiro studio, alongside Renata Vasconcellos, Bonner welcomed César Tralli amid applause from colleagues and family, including Tralli's wife Ticiane Pinheiro and daughters. He recalled his first JN in 1996, substituting for Sérgio Chapelin next to Cid Moreira, imitating the veteran's voice warm-up and admitting nervousness even after decades: “After 29 years at the desk, I'm very nervous.” Tralli, serene, thanked the reception and noted a pleasant day with the team.
Bonner advised his successor: JN strips away naivety and requires immunity to ideological passions. “A country and a world today inflamed with clashing ideas where one side sees the other as enemy. Even in this terrible environment, we cannot get contaminated and lose focus on facts and truth,” he stated. Renata Vasconcellos praised their 11-year partnership, calling him a “journalism monster.” The program aired a retrospective of Tralli's career, featuring coverages like the 1999 Turkey earthquake and the Twin Towers attacks.
The farewell drew high ratings, comparable to a novela finale. Bonner joked while teasing Globo Repórter and ended with his last “good night”: “We'll see each other, thank you very much.” The transition happens on November 3, with Bonner on the new show in February 2026.
