Chile! The nightly news hits just keep coming.
On Monday (February 24), longtime “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt announced he would be stepping down from the show after nearly 15 years behind the desk.
In a note to Nightly and Dateline staffers, the 65-year-old wrote, “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.”
“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 took over as anchor of “Nightly News” in June 2015, following Brian William’s exit, and since then, he has covered the most defining events of the century including, the political rise of President Donald Trump, the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Israel’s war on Gaza.
“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 in a message to staff.
“Quite simply, Lester is the beating heart of this news organization,” she added.
His departure adds to the growing exodus of veteran journalists at NBC since Donald Trump’s presidency, following the exits of “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd and “Today” show veteran Hoda Kotb.
Meanwhile, over at MSNBC, a major shakeup saw Joy Reid’s show The ReidOut canceled on Sunday, along with programs hosted by Ayman Mohyeldin, Katie Phang, and Jonathan Capehart.
NBC News has yet to announce Holt’s replacement.
