After a run of 10 years as the host of “NBC Nightly News”, veteran anchor Lester Holt announced yesterday afternoon that he’s leaving the show this summer.
Holt will be the second evening news anchor to step away from the job in recent months.
Norah O’Donnell left the “CBS Evening News” in January after a five-year run.
“A smile comes to my face when I think that with Nightly News, and Dateline, I have now anchored two of the most successful and iconic television news programs in broadcast history,” Holt wrote to staffers obtained by media outlets.
“As a 20-year-old radio reporter on the police beat chasing breaking news around San Francisco, I could never have imagined my career path would unfold in the way it has,” Holt added.
“What an amazing ride.”
Holt’s next move won’t take him far.
Holt will remain at the network and focus full-time on “Dateline” beginning this summer when he leaves “NBC Nightly News.”
Holt joined NBC News in 2000 and has also served as principal anchor of “Dateline NBC” since September 2011. He took over “NBC Nightly News” in 2015 following the ousting of his predecessor, Brian Williams, who was moved to MSNBC after being accused of embellishing news events he claimed to have witnessed.
Holt’s decade in the “NBC Nightly News” anchor chair came after he spent eight years anchoring the weekend edition.
A replacement for “NBC Nightly News” has not been named.
However, initial reports have indicated that Tom Llamas, who is the anchor of the evening newscast on streaming service NBC News Now, has been considered a leading candidate for the role.
NBC News Executive vice president of programming Janelle Rodriguez informed colleagues of the news yesterday.
“A short time ago, Lester shared with his team that after 10 years as the NBC Nightly News anchor, he’s taking on a dedicated full-time role at Dateline, his second home. Lester will continue at the helm of Nightly until early summer before he devotes his energy to the rapidly-expanding powerhouse that is Dateline,” Rodriguez wrote in a memo obtained by multiple media outlets.
“Because of Lester’s steady and thoughtful leadership, Nightly News has sustained its perch as a trusted and top news destination for millions of viewers across America. He has led the network during some of the country’s most fraught and challenging times in the past decade, most notably during the early days of the pandemic when Lester’s voice was a source of comfort each night for so many. He’s taken viewers to the frontlines of every major story and sat down with world leaders, skillfully eliciting answers on consequential issues,” she continued.
“Quite simply, Lester is the beating heart of this news organization.”
Holt was known for ending each newscast by saying, “Please take care of yourself and each other.”
But perhaps Holt’s most memorable moment in recent years came in 2021 when he pressed then-Vice President Kamala Harris about why she hadn’t been to the Southern border to hear her infamously respond, “And I haven’t been to Europe.”
Holt’s surprise announcement comes as NBC News and MSNBC have seen major changes in recent months, with Hoda Kotb leaving “Today,” former “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd leaving NBC News, Andrea Mitchell ending her daytime MSNBC program and Joy Reid’s program being canceled by MSNBC.