Lester Holt has spent nearly a decade in the anchor chair at NBC Nightly News. That will change later this year, as Holt has announced his plans to exit the nightly newscast.
In an email to colleagues Monday morning, Holt — who has been with NBC News since 2000 — shared that he will leave the newscast in the early portions of summer later this year.
“After 10 years, 17 if you include my years on the weekends, the time has come for me to step away from my role as anchor of Nightly News. 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 wrote.
“But before we play the walk off music, I have another announcement. I’m excited to report I will be continuing as anchor of Dateline NBC, but for the first time in a full time capacity whereby I will be expanding my footprint on the broadcast and crafting Dateline hours on subjects I care deeply about,” he continued. “I am thrilled to be able to work more closely with my enormously talented friends at Dateline as the broadcast continues to grow and attract new viewers in new places.”
Lester Holt replaced Brian Williams at the venerable NBC Nightly News anchor desk after the previous anchor exited amidst controversy over contrived statements about his time reporting on conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan with the United States military.
Holt becomes the latest nightly newscast anchor to depart their network’s program. Last month, Norah O’Donnell departed the CBS Evening News after anchoring the program for more than five years. Both the CBS and NBC News broadcasts have continually trailed ABC World News Tonight with David Muir in the television ratings in recent years.
“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,” said NBC News Executive Vice President Janelle Rodriguez. “He’s taken viewers to the frontlines of every major story and sat down with world leaders, skillfully eliciting answers on consequential issues.”
In the latest poll conducted by Morning Consult and The Hollywood Reporter, Lester Holt was identified as the most trusted news anchor in America. The 2024 poll showed that 64% of respondents had “a lot” or “some” trust in the NBC Nightly News anchor, besting Muir, O’Donnell, and a variety of cable news hosts.
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