NEW YORK — NBC News announced Wednesday that Tom Llamas will take over from Lester Holt as the anchor of “Nightly News” starting this summer. However, he will continue to host his streaming newscast.
The appointment of Llamas, 45, was widely expected. Since joining NBC from ABC in 2021, he has been Holt’s primary substitute on the evening news program. He also serves as the main anchor for NBC News Now, hosting the hour-long “Top Story” program.
Holt announced last week that he would be leaving “Nightly News” after a decade. He intends to remain with the network and contribute to “Dateline NBC.”
“Tom possesses the ideal combination of journalistic excellence, compelling storytelling, and unwavering integrity — all qualities that have historically defined NBC `Nightly News,’” said Janelle Rodriguez, NBC News’ executive vice president of programming.
This makes ABC’s David Muir the longest-tenured evening news anchor at “World News Tonight,” as well as the top-rated program. Earlier this year, CBS News replaced Norah O’Donnell with John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois.
While the media landscape has evolved significantly since Walter Cronkite’s era, the ABC, CBS, and NBC nightly news broadcasts still collectively reach over 10 million viewers each night. The anchors are generally seen as the public faces of their respective news divisions.
Llamas will be the first to hold this position while also continuing his work on the streaming platform. His “Top Story” broadcasts will air each weeknight following the conclusion of “Nightly News.”
