Lester Holt’s replacement at “NBC Nightly News” has been revealed.
Tom Llamas will succeed Holt as anchor and managing editor of the nightly news broadcast, NBC News announced on Wednesday.
The network said Llamas will take over after Holt signs off in early summer, but no specific date for the transition was shared.
Llamas, who has more than 25 years of experience in broadcast journalism, has served as fill-in anchor for Holt at “NBC Nightly News” since 2021, and he anchors the streaming newscast “Top Story with Tom Llamas.” He is a senior national correspondent for the network and also reports for the “Today” show. Llamas previously worked at ABC, where he anchored “World News Tonight” on weekends and served as fill-in anchor for David Muir.
Llamas will continue to anchor “Top Story” for NBC News NOW on weeknights.
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“Anchoring ‘NBC Nightly News’ is a profound honor and one that carries tremendous responsibility,” he said in a statement. “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.”
Lester Holt is stepping down as ‘NBC Nightly News’ anchor
Llamas added, “Lester Holt is a great man and one of the most trusted broadcasters of our time. Just likeLester, I promise to be devoted to our viewers and dedicated to the truth.”
In a note to staff, NBC News Executive Vice President of Programming Janelle Rodriguez said Llamas has “consistently demonstrated the integrity, experience, and passion needed to carry on the tradition of ‘Nightly News.'” She also thanked Holt for “his leadership and for helping us chart a new path forward following his signoff this summer.”
All the TV news anchors exiting their roles, including Lester Holt and Joy Reid
Why did Lester Holt step down from ‘NBC Nightly News’?
The news comes just over a week after Holt announced he would step away from “NBC Nightly News,” although he will remain with NBC and move into a full-time role at “Dateline.”
In a previous note to staff, Holt said the “time has come for me to step away from” the role after 10 years, adding, “It has truly been the honor of a lifetime to work with each of you every day, keeping journalism as our true north and our viewers at the center of everything we do.”
Holt also said he was excited to be “expanding my footprint on the broadcast and crafting ‘Dateline’ hours on subjects I care deeply about” in his new full-time role there, noting it would allow him to “work more closely with my enormously talented friends at ‘Dateline’ as the broadcast continues to grow and attract new viewers in new places.”
Norah O’Donnell signs off, Hoda Kotb’s out: ‘God-like days’ are over for big name anchors
Holt is one of numerous news anchors stepping away from their positions in recent months amid changes in the television news landscape. The list of departing broadcasters also includes Joy Reid, whose show was recently canceled at MSNBC, and the “Today” show’s Hoda Kotb, who said she decided to leave her role to spend more time with her children.
Norah O’Donnell also signed off as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” in January. She announced her decision in July, saying that after spending “12 years in the anchor chair here at CBS News, connected to a daily broadcast and the rigors of a relentless news cycle,” it was “time to do something different.” CBS replaced O’Donnell with John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois.
