One of the big staples in evening news television has decided to call it quits. Earlier this year, Lester Holt announced his intentions to call it quits from NBC Nightly News. He didn't make it immediately clear why he was leaving behind. At 66 years old, perhaps he wanted to slow things down. Regardless, he aimed for his final show to be at the start of the summer. "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. What an amazing ride," Holt says upon his announcement.
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On Friday, May 30th, Lester signed off of the programming for the final time. "It has been an honor to lead this program and an honor to be welcomed into your homes," Holt sincerely expresses. "I'm so grateful for your trust around here. Facts matter, words matter, journalism matters, and you matter."
Lester Holt Signs Off of NBC Nightly News for The Last Time
This isn't to say that Holt will be gone from NBC entirely. He still plans on hosting Dateline full time like he has for nearly 15 years. However, in the meantime, he'll be leaving his post on Nightly as anchor and managing editor. "I'll see you on Dateline. In the meantime, please continue to take care of yourself, and each other. And I'll do the same," Lester says.
As for the replacement, reports show that Tom Llamas will take over in Holt's place. He had been with NBC previously but departed to work as weekend anchor on ABC News' World News Tonight. When Tom returned to NBC News in 2021, the speculation was rampant that he would be successor to Lester. Now, Llamas will take over starting this week after Holt's final broadcast.
