Lester Holt is leaving his role as the host of NBC Nightly News after a decade behind the news desk.
“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, 65, wrote in a note to Nightly News and Dateline staffers on Monday, February 24, 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.”
In another memo to staffers shared by Variety, Holt wrote, “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 of Nightly News. 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.”
He continued: “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. 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.”
Related: Meet Lester Holt’s Wife: 5 Things to Know About Carol Hagen
News anchor Lester Holt’s wife, Carol Hagen, has been his rock for more than four decades. Holt and Hagen met at the age of 21 when she was a flight attendant and he was a radio reporter. Two years later, the couple tied the knot in 1982. Holt and Hagen welcomed sons Stefan and Cameron […]
It has not been announced who will replace Holt as the new host of Nightly News following his exit early this summer.
Holt took over as the face of Nightly News in 2015, making history as the first African-American journalist to solo anchor a weekday nightly newscast on a major TV network. He followed in the footsteps of Brian Williams, who held the anchor gig from 2004 to 2015. Several famous journalists have led the series since its launch in 1970, including John Chancellor, Frank McGee, David Brinkley, Roger Mudd and Tom Brokaw.
Before replacing Williams, 65, Holt served as a weekend host for Nightly News for eight years and coanchored Weekend Today for 12 years. He originally joined the NBC News family in 2000 and has served as the lead anchor of Dateline since 2011.
“He has led the network during some of the country’s most fraught and challenging times in the past decade,” Janelle Rodriguez, NBC News’ executive vice president of programming, wrote to staff members on Monday, per NBC News. “Quite simply, Lester is the beating heart of this news organization.”
Outside of TV, Holt is a husband, proud father of two and a grandfather of three. He married his wife, Carol Hagen, in 1982 and welcomed their sons, Stefan and Cameron, in 1987 and 1990, respectively.
Holt is the second major NBC personality to leave their role in recent months. Hoda Kotb left Today after nearly 17 years on the morning show last month. She cited turning 60 and wanting to spend more time with her daughters — Haley, 8, and Hope, 5 — as the reasons behind her decision.
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