Lester Holt, the familiar face of “NBC Nightly News,” has shared why he’s stepping away from the anchor position. However, he remains committed to the Peacock network, expressing that he still has plenty of energy left for journalism.
In a conversation with Variety, the 66-year-old Holt reflected on his 22 years with NBC. He seemed eager to revisit his journalistic roots, particularly with the program “Dateline,” a departure from the high-visibility anchor role once held by Tom Brokaw.
“It wasn’t a dramatic moment,” he remarked about his decision to leave the anchor chair after a decade. “I never envisioned doing this job indefinitely.”
Holt reached this conclusion after a deep discussion with his wife. He mentioned, “I realized it was time to move on from the ‘night’ gigs, but I still felt capable and motivated.”
His exit from evening news wasn’t unexpected among industry insiders, especially following the hiring of popular ABC anchor Tom Llamas in 2021, which stirred debates about future succession plans. Llamas is set to take over from Holt on May 30th.
Viewers can still catch Holt on “Dateline,” which covers various news topics and has been a staple for over 15 years. He noted that this new role offers him greater freedom compared to his anchoring duties. “We’re still doing journalism, but the format allows for deeper dives,” he explained. “Some stories I’ll be covering might take months.”
Holt expressed enthusiasm about exploring different aspects of reporting in this full-time position. “I once spent two nights in jail for a ‘Dateline’ episode and covered moving stories about the asthma crisis and economic issues,” he recalled. “I want to do more of those kinds of stories. I’m eager to tell the producers, ‘Yes, I’ll take that interview next week.’”
NBC hopes Holt’s involvement will bolster “Dateline” as a strong competitor to ABC’s “20/20.” Data from 2024 shows “Dateline” had 2.4 million viewers, just shy of “20/20’s” 2.6 million.
With Holt’s recent departure, NBC also anticipates a shift in viewership for “NBC Nightly News,” currently trailing behind ABC’s “World News Tonight” hosted by David Muir. In the first quarter of this year, “World News” attracted 8.1 million viewers, while “Nightly News” had 6.6 million.
Earlier this year, NBC revamped its evening lineup by replacing Nora O’Donnell with John Dickerson and Maurice Dubois, who averaged 4.6 million viewers.
Holt’s career began at CBS in 1981 before joining NBC News in 2003, where he has held various roles in both anchoring and reporting. He became the “Nightly News” anchor in 2015 after Brian Williams was reassigned.
Reflecting on the challenges facing nightly news, Holt observed, “Our biggest hurdle isn’t just current viewership, but anticipating where they’ll be in two weeks.”
“Every night,” he added, “People mention how enjoyable my time has been. And I think, well, I’m still in it.”
