Lester Holt, the long-standing anchor of NBC Nightly News, announced on Monday he will step down from the role in the coming months. Holt, who has served as the anchor for nearly a decade, stated he plans to continue at NBC by taking on expanded responsibilities with Dateline, where he is currently the show’s anchor.
In a memo to colleagues, Holt, 65, expressed gratitude for his time on the program. He indicated he would remain in his current position until the start of summer, although the network has not yet named a successor.
Holt took over the anchor position in 2015. His appointment came after the previous anchor, Brian Williams, faced controversy over embellishments in a story about events in Iraq. Initially, Holt filled in on the weekend edition and was later appointed to the role permanently after Williams’s suspension and subsequent move to MSNBC.
NBC has already ousted Chuck Todd from the network. Indeed, Holt’s announcement occurs amidst a wave of transitions in various news divisions, with several veteran news figures recently exiting their positions. For instance, far-left mainstay Joy Reid is out at MSNBC, and Jim Acosta is out at CNN after significant alterations to his time slot.
