Is Tom Llamas officially replacing Lester Holt as the anchor of NBC’s Nightly News? Holt, a longtime presence at NBC News, first joined the network in 2000. He started as a substitute anchor before taking over permanently in 2015. Now, with NBC confirming Holt’s exit from Nightly News, fans want to know what’s next for him. So, who will take his place on the show? Here are all the details.
Is Tom Llamas replacing Lester Holt as the new anchor of NBC’s Nightly News?
Yes, Llamas is replacing Holt as the new anchor of NBC’s Nightly News.
NBC officially announced the transition on March 5, Wednesday, confirming that Holt will step away from his anchoring duties. However, he will remain with the network in a different capacity.
Holt, who had already hinted at his decision last month, expressed gratitude for his time hosting some of NBC’s most iconic programs. “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,” he added.
Detailing his overall experience at the show, he writes, “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.” (via NBC) It is to be noted that Holt will remain at the network for anchoring “Dateline” full-time.
Janelle Rodriguez, NBC News executive vice president of programming, penned a message to staff revealing the latest change at the news program. She described Holt’s successor Llamas as a “winning combination of journalistic excellence, passionate storytelling and unyielding integrity. All characteristics that have long been trademarks of ‘NBC Nightly News’.” She also emphasized how the anchor has contributed to the network’s success during his overall tenure.
Llamas also issued a statement addressing his new role. He expressed enthusiasm to get to work with “world-class journalists” on his assigned shows. Aside from assuming his duties as a managing editor and anchor at Nightly News, he will continue to be a senior national correspondent at Top Story.
