NBC Nightly News Taps Tom Llamas To Replace Lester Holt

The anchor desk at NBC Nightly News will transition from Lester Holt to Tom Llamas, who will take over the role this summer, following Holt's last broadcast.

"Tom has the winning combination of journalistic excellence, passionate storytelling and unyielding integrity — all characteristics that have long been trademarks of NBC Nightly News," NBC News EVP Janelle Rodriguez Rodriguez wrote in a message to staff. "Additionally, he's been instrumental in growing NBC News NOW into the leading streaming news network, helping to introduce NBC News to a new generation of viewers."

Llamas currently serves as a senior national correspondent for NBC News and reported for NBC Nightly News alongside Holt. In addition, he anchors Top Story with Tom Llamas, a daily primetime newscast for NBC News NOW. Llamas has also contributed to various NBC News outlets, including Today.

He began his broadcast journey at NBC as part of the NBC News Specials Unit during the 2000 presidential election. The following year, he contributed to MSNBC's coverage of the 9/11 attacks and the war in Afghanistan. Llamas then joined NBC's WTVJ in South Florida, where he worked from 2005 to 2009. Afterward, he moved to New York and became a general-assignment reporter and anchor for WNBC and NBC News.

Llamas moved to ABC News in 2014 as a New York-based correspondent and became the Sunday anchor of ABC World News Tonight in 2015.

Llamas returned to NBC News in 2021, covering major events like the Tokyo Olympics, the war in Ukraine, the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the Israel-Hamas war. He won a pair of Emmys in 2018 for Best Anchor and Best Hard News Story.

Holt announced his departure from NBC Nightly News on Feb. 26. He revealed that he would still be a part of the network, focusing solely on Dateline, which he has anchored since 2011.

Do you think Llamas will do his predecessor justice? Drop your thoughts in a comment below.