NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt will leave the program after a decade in the role. His final newscast will be this summer.
Holt, who has been the main anchor of the weeknight newscast since 2015, will shift his focus to the newsmagazine show Dateline, on which he has served as principal anchor for the last 15 years, according to a statement from the network.
NBC has not indicated who will take over the lead anchor duties on NBC Nightly News.
“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 staffers of both shows. “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.”
Holt moderated two presidential debates since becoming the network’s lead anchor. His first was in 2016 between Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump, and the second came in 2019 for the first Democratic primary debate.
During his career, Holt has interviewed President Donald Trump, former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Barack Obama, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, among others.
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“He has led the network during some of the country’s most fraught and challenging times in the past decade,” NBC News executive vice president of programming Janelle Rodriguez wrote to staff. “Quite simply, Lester is the beating heart of this news organization.”
Holt’s departure follows that of CBS Evening News’s Norah O’Donnell, who left her role as anchor and managing editor of the network’s nightly news program last month. On Sunday, MSNBC announced the departure of host Joy Reid. Her final broadcast will take place Monday night.
