Lester Holt, the anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News” for a decade, announced Monday that he is stepping down from the long-running broadcast at the beginning of the summer.
NBC News did not immediately name Holt’s successor.
Holt will continue at the network with a full-time role at “Dateline,” where he has been the primary anchor for almost 15 years, according to a memo shared with network staff Monday.
Holt was named anchor of “Nightly News” in June 2015 after leading weekend editions of the news broadcast for eight years and co-anchoring “Weekend TODAY” for 12 years. He has served as principal anchor of “Dateline” since September 2011.
“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 wrote in a note Monday to “Nightly” and “Dateline” staffers. “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 his 10 years at the helm of “Nightly News,” Holt covered the defining events of the era, including the political rise of President Donald Trump, the Covid pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel and the war in the Gaza Strip.
In recent months, Holt co-anchored the network’s coverage of election night, traveled to Iran for an exclusive interview with President Masoud Pezeshkian and helmed a “Dateline” special about the devastating 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
