Lester Holt Is Stepping Down fromNBC Nightly NewsAfter More Than a Decade

Mar. 15, 2025

NBC Nightly News and Dateline anchor Lester Holt poses for photos on the Nightly News set, at NBC headquarters, in New York, Wednesday, July 31, 2019.Photo:AP Photo/Richard Drew

AP Photo/Richard Drew

The shakeups to nightly news keep coming.On Monday, Feb. 24, longtimeNBCNightly NewsanchorLester Holtannounced he would be exiting the show this summer after more than 10 years.In a memo toNightlyandDatelinestaff, the 65-year-old wrote, “A smile comes to my face when I think that withNightly News,andDateline, I have now anchored two of the most successful and iconic television news programs in broadcast history.““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. What an amazing ride.“Holttook over as anchor ofNightly Newsin June 2015 followingBrian Williams' exit, and the network’s executive vice president of programming Janelle Rodriguez said of his more than two decades at NBC: “He has led the network during some of the country’s most fraught and challenging times in the past decade. Quite simply, Lester is the beating heart of this news organization.“News anchor Lester Holt poses on the MSNBC set in Secaucus, N.J., April 15, 2003.AP Photo/Brian Branch-PriceNews of Holt’s exit comes amidst a slew of similar departures at other networks in the weeks since PresidentDonald Trump’sinauguration.Holt’s NBC colleagueChuck Toddsimilarly surprised viewersas he announced his abrupt departure from the networkon Jan. 31 after nearly two decades. He said in a memo to staffers that he was “pretty excited” about a “few new projects” in the works, and called his time at NBC, which includedanchoringMeet the Pressfor nine years, the “honor of a lifetime,“Days earlier,Jim Acosta signed off of CNN abruptly, ending an 18-year tenure with the network that reportedly stemmed from an internal clash over the timeslot for his show.Lester Holt is pictured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.Virginia Sherwood/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via GettyAnother nightly news shake-up came on Feb. 7 as MSNBC vetAndrea Mitchell took her final bowonAndrea Mitchell Reportsafter nearly 17 years. Her exit had been announced in October, though, as the daily show revealed its plans to conclude.“After sixteen years of being in the anchor chair every day, I want time to do more of what I love the most: connecting, listening, and reporting in the field, especially as whoever is elected next week is going to undertake the monumental task of handling two foreign wars and the political divisions here at home,” Mitchell, 78, said at the time.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.NBC Nightly Newsairs weekdays at 6:30 p.m. ET.

The shakeups to nightly news keep coming.

On Monday, Feb. 24, longtimeNBCNightly NewsanchorLester Holtannounced he would be exiting the show this summer after more than 10 years.

In a memo toNightlyandDatelinestaff, the 65-year-old wrote, “A smile comes to my face when I think that withNightly News,andDateline, I have now anchored two of the most successful and iconic television news programs in broadcast history.”

“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. What an amazing ride.”

Holttook over as anchor ofNightly Newsin June 2015 followingBrian Williams' exit, and the network’s executive vice president of programming Janelle Rodriguez said of his more than two decades at NBC: “He has led the network during some of the country’s most fraught and challenging times in the past decade. Quite simply, Lester is the beating heart of this news organization.”

News anchor Lester Holt poses on the MSNBC set in Secaucus, N.J., April 15, 2003.AP Photo/Brian Branch-Price

AP Photo/Brian Branch-Price

News of Holt’s exit comes amidst a slew of similar departures at other networks in the weeks since PresidentDonald Trump’sinauguration.

Holt’s NBC colleagueChuck Toddsimilarly surprised viewersas he announced his abrupt departure from the networkon Jan. 31 after nearly two decades. He said in a memo to staffers that he was “pretty excited” about a “few new projects” in the works, and called his time at NBC, which includedanchoringMeet the Pressfor nine years, the “honor of a lifetime,”

Days earlier,Jim Acosta signed off of CNN abruptly, ending an 18-year tenure with the network that reportedly stemmed from an internal clash over the timeslot for his show.

Lester Holt is pictured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.Virginia Sherwood/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Virginia Sherwood/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Another nightly news shake-up came on Feb. 7 as MSNBC vetAndrea Mitchell took her final bowonAndrea Mitchell Reportsafter nearly 17 years. Her exit had been announced in October, though, as the daily show revealed its plans to conclude.

“After sixteen years of being in the anchor chair every day, I want time to do more of what I love the most: connecting, listening, and reporting in the field, especially as whoever is elected next week is going to undertake the monumental task of handling two foreign wars and the political divisions here at home,” Mitchell, 78, said at the time.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

NBC Nightly Newsairs weekdays at 6:30 p.m. ET.

source: people.com