Lester Holt exits ‘NBC Nightly News’ before Tom Llamas replacement

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After a decade behind the “NBC Nightly News” desk, Lester Holt bid a heartfelt farewell.

Holt, 65, delivered his last remarks on May 30 and expressed gratitude toward his devoted audience as he heads for a new full-time gig at the network’s storied newsmagazine, “Dateline.”

“Oh my goodness, it has been quite a ride. Thanks, everybody,” he said, surrounded by his wife of 42 years, Carol Hagen, and his colleagues after a highlights montage aired.

His final statements came earlier in the segment, as Holt said, “After 10 years, this is my last ‘Nightly News’ broadcast. As anchor, it has been an honor to lead this program and an honor to be welcomed into your homes. I’m so grateful for your trust.

“Around here, facts matter, words matter, journalism matters and you matter,” he continued. “Over the last decade, we have shared some dark and harrowing days and nights in our country. The pandemic, mass shootings, natural disasters, each testing our resilience and our compassion. That’s why I often like to leave you with something to smile about, moments that reassure and connect us.”

Holt let the broadcast end on a positive note as he thanked his supporters and looked toward what the future holds for both himself and the program.

“I’ll miss our evenings together, and I will miss the team that puts it all together, my dear friends and my colleagues. But for now, I just want to say thank you to my incredibly supportive and patient family and all of you,” he said in closing, adding that he wishes successor Tom Llamas “great success.”

“I’ll see you on ‘Dateline.’ In the meantime, please continue to take care of yourselves — and each other. And I’ll do the same.”

Holt has, since 2015, been a leading face in the evening news. Taking over for Brian Williams after a scandal over journalistic ethics, his bespectacled gaze and steady voice made him a staple on screens across America.

His decision to step back comes as the cable news landscape convulses with other changes, and the primetime lineup appears almost unrecognizable. From CNN to NBC to Fox, anchors are playing a game of musical chairs as executives battle to increase ratings post-election season.

Why is Lester Holt leaving ‘Nightly News?’

Holt, in a Variety interview published May 8, said the choice to leave “Nightly” for “Dateline” was about getting to do more in-depth reporting.

“It wasn’t like one moment of epiphany,” he told the outlet. “I never saw myself doing this job forever… I needed to come off the ‘Nightly’ gig, but I still had gas in the tank.

“People say it’s been a great run; it’s like, well, I’m still running,” Holt added, saying of “Dateline,” “We’re still doing journalism, but these are (one) hour- and two-hour shows we’re doing. Some of the stories you’ll see me doing will be months in the making.”

Who is replacing Lester Holt?

Come June 2, the “Nightly” desk will have a new face: Tom Llamas, an Emmy-winning broadcast journalist who has filled in for Holt on several occasions.

An ABC news alum, Llamas hopped networks to NBC in 2021, where he had originally started his journalism career. There he has worked as a national correspondent and lead anchor, wearing several hats at the network before being announced in March as Holt’s replacement for host and managing editor of the “Nightly News.”

Llamas will continue to host his signature broadcast “Top Story” each weeknight.

Contributing: Jay Stahl and KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY

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