NBC announces Tom Llamas to take over for Lester Holt on ‘Nightly News’

Tom Llamas will take over from Lester Holt as anchor of “NBC Nightly News” this summer, when the veteran journalist steps down from the post he held for a decade, NBC News announced Wednesday.

Llamas will also serve as managing editor of “NBC Nightly News” and will retain his role as anchor of “Top Story with Tom Llamas” on NBC News NOW every weeknight, NBC News executives said Wednesday.

“Anchoring NBC Nightly News is a profound honor and one that carries tremendous responsibility. I look forward to working with the world class journalists at Nightly News and Top Story to bring viewers the most important stories every night,” Llamas said in a statement.

Llamas joined NBC News in 2021 as a senior national correspondent, more than two decades after starting his career at the network. He regularly fills in for Holt as anchor and reports regularly on NBC’s “TODAY.”

Llamas also leads breaking news events and special coverage for NBC News Now. The announcement on Wednesday noted that his “marathon coverage” on the election night in November and the presidential debate in September “led the streaming networks to ratings milestones.”

“Tom has the winning combination of journalistic excellence, passionate storytelling and unyielding integrity—all characteristics that have long been trademarks of NBC Nightly News,” NBC News’s executive vice president of programming, Janelle Rodriguez, said in the announcement.

“Additionally, he’s been instrumental in growing NBC News NOW into the leading streaming news network, helping to introduce NBC News to a new generation of viewers,” Rodriguez added.

Holt announced last week that he would be stepping down early this summer as anchor of “NBC Nightly News” but would remain an anchor of NBC’s “Dateline.”

He did not provide a specific reason for his departure, but the network reported he wrote to staff that “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.”

“Lester Holt is a great man and one of the most trusted broadcasters of our time. Just like Lester, I promise to be devoted to our viewers and dedicated to the truth,” Llamas said in a statement.