'Morning Joe' Guest Jeremy Peters Explains Unannounced Exit: 'I Didn't Flee The Set'

New York Times reporter Jeremy Peters grabbed media watchers' attention Tuesday morning when he appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" for nearly an hour, speaking barely a word, and then completely disappeared.

News outlets later reported that Peters fled the set -- that he "vanished" with no explanation.

"Did he say anything?" co-host Joe Scarborough asked once he realized Peters was gone. "Not the entire time?"

But Peters explained to The Huffington Post Tuesday morning exactly what happened:

"I didn't flee the set, I assure you," he wrote in an email. "I came on the show, as I usually do, to talk about what's happening in Congress. I did that around 6:45 a.m. And I left the Ferguson discussion today to the others on the panel like Gene Robinson, who was able to capably and intelligently discuss it far better than I would have. One thing I've learned from doing TV: I've never regretted not opening my mouth. It's always the times when you do -- and shouldn't have -- that get you in trouble."

Peters echoed this same sentiment on Twitter as well: