Lester Holt OUT At ‘NBC Nightly,’ What Happened?
Lester Holt has been part of NBC for more than two decades. However, it’s recently been announced that Holt is set to leave NBC Nightly News. This notably comes out following the departure of many similar figures in the industry, including some of Holt’s NBC colleagues.
Lester Holt Has Anchored Quite A Few Shows During His Time With NBC
Holt is a journalist known for working as an anchor on various shows for CBS and NBC. These include NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC.
In 2015, Holt became NBC Nightly News‘ permanent anchor, taking on the role from Brian Williams. After spending decades working as a journalist, however, Holt is about to make a career change.
According to People, Holt announced that he would be leaving the series after over ten years. He shared his decision in a memo to Nightly and Dateline staff.
Holt 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.” He continued, “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.”
Janelle Rodriguez, the network’s executive vice president of programming, spoke of Holt’s years with the network. As she shared, “He has led the network during some of the country’s most fraught and challenging times in the past decade. Quite simply, Lester is the beating heart of this news organization.”
However, Holt isn’t expected to be leaving NBC entirely. He is set to become a full-time host for Dateline after leaving NBC News Nightly.
Holt Isn’t The Only Network Journalist Recently Making A Similar Departure
Notably, Holt’s decision comes out as many other news networks are seeing similar shakeups. Chuck Todd notably announced his own departure this past January. Much like Holt, he had been part of NBC for years, leaving after two decades.
In a memo, Todd similarly wrote that he was “pretty excited” about a “few new projects” in the future. He spoke fondly of his time with NBC, calling it the “honor of a lifetime.”
View this post on Instagram
Similarly, Jim Acosta also recently left CNN after an 18-year tenture. At the time, it was alleged this was due to a fight over his show’s time slot.
MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell also finished her time on Andrea Mitchell Reports after 17 years, announcing her departure in October. At the time, she shared, “After sixteen years of being in the anchor chair every day, I want time to do more of what I love the most: connecting, listening, and reporting in the field, especially as whoever is elected next week is going to undertake the monumental task of handling two foreign wars and the political divisions here at home.”
View this post on Instagram
Did you watch Lester Holt on NBC Nightly News? What about Dateline NBC? Make sure you come back to TV Shows Ace for all the latest TV and celebrity news.
- ‘General Hospital’ James Is Sporting A Brand New Face - July 18, 2026
- HGTV’s Dave Marrs Gifts Jenny With Touching Tribute To His Late Mother - July 18, 2026
- ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Ryan Seacrest & Vanna White Dance With LA Dodgers Stars - July 18, 2026