Lester Holt’s life

Lester Holt exits NBC Nightly News after a decade, and Tom Llamas takes over as anchor on June 2.

Lester Holt Explains Leaving 'NBC Nightly News' for Very Different Role on 'Dateline' - IMDb

Lester Holt will anchor his final edition of NBC Nightly News on Friday, May 30, marking the end of a landmark era in broadcast journalism.

Holt, who made history in 2015 as the first Black solo anchor of a nightly network newscast, is shifting his focus full-time to Dateline NBC, where he’s been a lead anchor since 2011. Tom Llamas, currently the anchor of Top Story and a regular substitute on Nightly News, will assume the role starting Monday, June 2.

Lester Holt Warns Media Not To Provide "Platform For Misinformation"

Llamas has long been a familiar face to NBC audiences, having also reported for Today and traveled extensively to connect with NBC affiliates across the country in preparation for the new role. Holt joined NBCUniversal in 2000 as an anchor on MSNBC.

Following the passing of David Bloom in 2003, he became the anchor of Weekend Today, and in 2007, he took over the weekend editions of Nightly News. When Brian Williams exited in 2015, Holt stepped into the weekday anchor chair, becoming the fourth person to lead the network’s flagship evening newscast after John Chancellor, Tom Brokaw, and Williams.

Lester Holt leaving 'NBC Nightly News,' will focus on 'Dateline'

CNN’s Brian Stelter first reported the timeline of Holt’s departure and Llamas’ elevation. Reflecting on his departure last month, Holt said, “What I know is that journalism is still a noble profession. But one of tremendous responsibility. There is no room for arrogance if we are to succeed in our mission. There is however room for compassion.”

Currently, Holt has a net worth of $35 million, reflecting his decades-long career in broadcast journalism. He earned the majority of his wealth as anchor of NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC.

With Holt’s departure, ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir will become the longest-tenured anchor among the Big Three evening news programs.

Lester Holt is stepping down as anchor of 'NBC Nightly News' after a decade

Over at CBS, Norah O’Donnell stepped down from the Evening News anchor desk earlier this year, though she continues as a senior correspondent focusing on in-depth reporting and interviews.

Eager to exercise “some different news muscles” the NBC star is embracing his role at Dateline. He elaborated on his decision to join Dateline full-time, saying, “I’ve done a lot of things that are outside of what many would think is a traditional Dateline, but I want to do more of those.”

Speaking to Variety, Lester further unpacked his motivations for leaving the nightly broadcast. “I want to be able to tell a producer, ‘Yes, I’ll be there for that interview next week,’ because I won’t be jumping.”