Lester Holt steps down as 'NBC Nightly News' anchor

Lester Holt, 65, is a true television legend – but now, he’s stepping away from his biggest role yet.

He will no longer anchor NBC Nightly News, the flagship program he’s led for the past decade.

First African-American solo anchor

Instead, the seasoned journalist will focus entirely on hosting Dateline, as confirmed by NBC News’ Executive Vice President of Programming, Janelle Rodriguez, according to Daily Mail.

Ten years ago, the trusted anchor took over Nightly News full-time from longtime host Brian Williams. When Holt was promoted to the role in 2015, he became the first African-American solo anchor of a weekday network nightly newscast.

Though broadcast TV viewership has decreased in recent years, the nightly newscasts on NBC, ABC, and CBS still attract a combined 20 million viewers on a strong night.

Holt will stay in his role at the network’s primetime newsmagazine until early summer.

”Quite simply, Lester is the beating heart of this news organization,” NBC News executive vice president of programming Janelle Rodriguez said in an internal memo on Monday, according to Fox29.

”He’s earned deep respect and reverence from our newsroom, industry colleagues and, most importantly, viewers.”

”A smile comes to my face..”

Over the course of his decade-long tenure as anchor of Nightly News, Holt covered some of the most defining moments of the era. His reporting spanned from President Donald Trump’s rise to power and the COVID-19 pandemic, to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the October 7, 2023 attack in Israel, and the ongoing Gaza conflict.

More recently, Holt co-anchored the network’s election night coverage, traveled to Iran for an exclusive interview with President Masoud Pezeshkian, and hosted a Dateline special on the devastating 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles, as covered by NBC News.

”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,” Holt wrote in a note Monday to “Nightly” and “Dateline” staffers per NBC News.

“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.”

NBC has not yet announced who will replace Holt, but Tom Llamas, who currently hosts the network’s nightly streaming show Top Story and often steps in for Holt, is expected to take over the role.