Lester Holt, longtime anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News,” announced Monday he will be stepping away from the broadcast at the beginning of the summer, the network reported. Holt, who is 65, has been anchoring the show for 10 years.
NBC News did not immediately name who would take over the anchor desk.
Holt, who also anchors the news magazine show “Dateline,” will continue in that role full time, the network said.
“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,” Holt wrote in a memo to staff on Monday, NBC reported.
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Holt, who joined NBC News in 2000, was named anchor of “Nightly News” in June 2015, succeeding Brian Williams.
Holt has served as main anchor of “Dateline” since September 2011. Prior to taking over “Nightly News” anchor duties, Holt co-anchored “Weekend TODAY” for 12 years, the network said.
“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,” he wrote in the memo to staffers. “What an amazing ride.”
In a statement, Janelle Rodriguez, the executive vice president of programming at NBC News, praised Holt’s “steady and thoughtful leadership” during his decade on “Nightly News.” She said he helped the broadcast sustain its “perch as a trusted and top news destination for millions of viewers across America.”
“He’s taken viewers to the frontlines of every major story and sat down with world leaders, skillfully eliciting answers on consequential issues,” she added. “Quite simply, Lester is the beating heart of this news organization.”
Holt, who also anchors “Nightly News: Kids Edition,” is the latest high-profile TV news personality to exit in recent months.Â
Norah O’Donnell signed off as “CBS Evening News” anchor in January to take on a new role at the network, with John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois taking over at the anchor desk.
