Lester Holt announced Monday that he will be stepping down from anchoring the NBC Nightly News. He is set to depart the anchor’s chair at the beginning of the summer.
“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,” Holt said in a note to staffers. “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.”
NBC News has not announced Holt’s replacement and will likely hold off on naming a successor until closer to his departure.
“Lester is the beating heart of this news organization,” NBC News programming EVP Janelle Rodriguez told NBC News employees. “He’s earned deep respect and reverence from our newsroom, industry colleagues, and, most importantly, viewers.”
“What’s equally remarkable is how Lester has masterfully filled this esteemed role with extraordinary grace and humility,” Rodriguez added. “He’s proven time and time again why he stands among the great legends of broadcast news.”
Holt’s announcement follows Norah O’Donnell‘s recent departure from the CBS Evening News anchor’s chair. Like O’Donnell, he’ll will remain with NBC News, working full-time at Dateline where he’s been a principal anchor since 2011.
Holt joined the NBCUniversal News Group in 2000, first as an anchor for MSNBC before moving to NBC News. In 2003, he was named anchor of Weekend Today following the death of David Bloom, and added the weekend editions of the Nightly News to his plate in 2007.
He took over the weekday Nightly News in 2015, becoming the fourth solo anchor of the storied franchise after John Chancellor, Tom Brokaw, and Brian Williams. He also made broadcast history as the first Black solo anchor of a nightly newscast.
For most of Holt’s tenure, NBC Nightly News has occupied second place in the ratings in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo. Last year, the newscast recorded its best month in January when it attracted 7.3 million total viewers. It drew its biggest demo audience in August with 1.204 million viewers, and finished the 2023-2024 broadcast season as the No. 2 newscast with 6.437 million total viewers and 955,000 demo viewers.
With Holt stepping down, ABC News’ David Muir becomes the longest-running evening news anchor. ABC World News Tonight is also the most-watched evening newscast on broadcast television. During the week of Feb. 10, ABC surpassed NBC by 1.557 million total viewers and 223,000 demo viewers.
