Lester Holt Stepping Down From ‘NBC Nightly News’ After Decade Behind Anchor Desk

Master of Ceremonies Lester Holt at the 31th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner to benefit The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis at The Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City on Sept. 12, 2016. Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for The Buoniconti Fund

Lester Holt is stepping down as anchor of “NBC Nightly News” after a decade with the broadcast.

According to NBC, the 65-year-old, who also served as managing editor for “Nightly News,” will remain on the network but is taking a full-time position on “Dateline” this summer.

“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 wrote to staffers in an internal memo on Feb. 24.

“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.”

After joining NBC in 2000, Holt served as principal anchor of “Dateline” since September 2011, co-anchored “Weekend TODAY” for 12 years, and spent eight years anchoring the weekend edition of “Nightly News.”

“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 wrote in the memo.

“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.”

In 2015, Holt was named permanent anchor of the broadcast following the suspension of Brian Williams, who faced backlash for admittedly embellishing his experiences reporting from Iraq.

Other veteran journalists have parted ways with major news outlets in recent months, including former NBC “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd, Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto, anchor and managing editor of CBS Evening News Norah O’Donnell, and others.

Meanwhile, it remains unclear who will replace Holt as anchor for the “Nightly News” position.

On-Air Career

Holt began his television career in 1981 as a reporter at WCBS-TV in New York. In 1982, he moved to Los Angeles to report for KCBS-TV, and in 1984, he returned to WCBS.

In 1986, he served as the afternoon and evening news anchor for 14 years at WBBM-TV station in Chicago before heading to MSNBC and later becoming the first African American solo male anchor for a major network newscast.

During his time with the network, Holt extensively reported on major current events and headlines, interviewed U.S. presidents, world leaders, and other key figures, and frequently traveled to areas hit by deadly hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and mass shootings.

Since 2020, Holt has also anchored the “Nightly News: Kids Edition,” an Emmy-nominated digital newscast geared toward informing and educating children.

Holt received a number of accolades for his work in the industry, including the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism and the Emmy for Outstanding Edited Interview with “Dateline” in 2018.

According to a 2018 poll from The Hollywood Reporter and Morning Consult, Holt was recognized as “the most trusted television news personality in America,” trailing ABC’s David Muir and “Good Morning America” co-host Robin Roberts at the time.