News junkies devoted to watching Lester Holt anchor the “NBC Nightly News” will have to get used to a new face bringing them all the day’s developments come Monday, June 2.
Holt will sign off the broadcast Friday, May 30 after a decade in the anchor chair.
Holt has covered a tumultuous decade of news since taking the helm, including the pandemic, international conflicts, and several hotly contested presidential elections. He also played a key role in NBC’s Olympic coverage.
But while he’s stepping down from anchoring the news, Holt isn’t leaving NBC News.
Instead, he’ll turn his full focus to prime time news program “Dateline NBC.” Holt has been part of “Dateline” since 2011, but says he wants to “dive deeper” into investigative projects and long-form storytelling.
“I’m excited to report I will be continuing as anchor of Dateline NBC, but for the first time in a full time capacity whereby I will be expanding my footprint on the broadcast and crafting ‘Dateline’ hours on subjects I care deeply about,” Holt wrote in his official statement announcing the end of his tenure as “NBC Nightly News” anchor. “I am thrilled to be able to work more closely with my enormously talented friends at ‘Dateline’ as the broadcast continues to grow and attract new viewers in new places.”
Who Will Replace Lester Holt on ‘NBC Nightly News’?
NBC national correspondent Tom Llamas will take over as anchor of “NBC Nightly News” on Monday, June 2. Llamas will also continue to host his primetime streaming program “Top Story with Tom Llamas” on NBC News NOW.
Llamas has filled in for Holt on “Nightly News” since coming to NBC four years ago. He’s also contributed to the “Today Show.”
“I look forward to working with the world class journalists at Nightly News and Top Story to bring viewers the most important stories every night,” Llamas said in a statement. “Lester Holt is a great man and one of the most trusted broadcasters of our time. Just like Lester, I promise to be devoted to our viewers and dedicated to the truth.”
Lester Holt Says His Wife Helped Convince Him to Step Down
In an interview with Variety, Lester Holt revealed that his wife played a key role in helping him decide to shift his full focus to “Dateline.”
“The big buy-in was to be able to do more of the hours,” Holt said. “I once spent two nights in prison for a ‘Dateline,’ and I’ve done heartbreaking stories on the asthma crisis and the economy. I’ve done a lot of things that are outside of what many would think is a traditional ‘Dateline,’ but I want to do more of those, and I want to be able to tell a producer, ‘Yes, I’ll be there for that interview next week,’ because I won’t be jumping after whatever is happening for ‘Nightly.’”
Still, 66-year-old Holt says it took some convincing. “It wasn’t like one moment of epiphany,” Holt said. “I never saw myself doing this job forever. I decided that I needed to come off the ‘Nightly’ gig, but I still had gas in the tank.”
“We’re still doing journalism, but these are hour and two-hour shows we’re doing. Some of the stories you’ll see me doing will be months in the making.”
“People say it’s been a great run,” Holt said, emphasizing that he’s in no way ready to retire. “It’s like, well, I’m still running.”
How to Watch Lester Holt’s Final Newscast
Lester Holt’s final “NBC Nightly News” broadcast airs Friday, May 30 at 6:30p.m. ET on NBC.
