Lester Holt | |
|---|---|
 Holt in 2022 | |
| Born | (1959-03-08)March 8, 1959 (age 66) Marin County,California, U.S. |
| Education | California State University, Sacramento (no degree) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Employer(s) | CBS (1981–2000) NBC (2000–present) |
| Notable credit(s) | NBC Nightly News weeknight anchor (2015–2025) Weekend Today co-anchor (2003–2015) NBC Nightly News weekend anchor (2007–2015) Dateline NBC anchor (2011–present) |
| Television | CBS News (1981–2000) NBC News (2000–present) |
| Term | Anchor ofNBC Nightly News andNBC Nightly News Kids Edition |
| Predecessor | Brian Williams |
| Successor | Tom Llamas |
| Political party | Independent (2018–present)[1] Republican (until 2018)[2][1] |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingStefan Holt |
| Awards | Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award 1990 |
Lester Don Holt Jr. (born March 8, 1959)[3] is an American journalist who was the news anchor for the weekday edition ofNBC Nightly News, NBC Nightly News Kids Edition, and is currently news anchor forDateline NBC. On June 18, 2015, Holt was made the permanent anchor ofNBC Nightly News following theIraq War-reporting controversy ofBrian Williams. Holt followed in the career footsteps ofMax Robinson, anABC News evening co-anchor, and became the first Black male solo anchor for a major network newscast.[4][5]
According to a 2018 poll, Holt was ranked as being the most trusted TV news anchor in America.[6] Holt also moderated the first presidential debate of 2016 to mixed reviews; being credited forfact-checking the candidates for false statements while struggling to keep control of the debate and unable to adhere to time restrictions.[7] WhileNBC Nightly News was the top-ranked evening news program for over 30 years during theTom Brokaw and Brian Williams eras, ratings dropped to second place after Holt began as anchor.[8]
On May 30, 2025, Holt leftNBC Nightly News after nearly ten years as host, in order to become the full-time host of NBC news magazine showDateline following his departure.[9][10]
Holt is an accomplished bass guitarist who regularly plays blues and rock music, occasionally performing with bands at charity events and private gatherings.[11]
Holt was born on March 8, 1959, onHamilton Air Force Base,Marin County, California, the youngest child of four of June (née DeRozario) and Lester Don Holt.[12][13] His maternal grandparents were born in Jamaica. Holt's maternal grandfather Canute DeRozario was ofAnglo-Indian descent fromSpanish Town, and was one of 14 children born to anEurasian father fromCalcutta,India and an English-bornWhite Jamaican mother.[14][15] His maternal grandmother, May, was anAfro-Jamaican born inManchester Parish, Jamaica, but raised inHarlem, New York, where his mother was born. His father wasAfrican American fromMichigan, withroots inTennessee.
His father was stationed atElmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska for four years during theVietnam War. Holt was introduced to broadcasting by his older brother, adisc jockey at a local radio station inAnchorage, Alaska.[16]
He graduated fromCordova High School inRancho Cordova in 1977[17] and majored in government atCalifornia State University, Sacramento, though he never graduated,[18][19] receiving anhonorary degree in 2015.[20] He has also received honoraryDoctorates in Humane Letters from bothRutgers University in 2020[21] andVillanova University in 2023.[22] In 2012, Holt toldAmerican Profile news magazine: "My first on-air job was actually as a disc jockey at a Country and Western station. The only time I could land a full-time gig was if I was willing to report the news." Holt would keep the job with the radio station through his college years.[23]
Holt spent 19 years withCBS, as a reporter, anchor, and international correspondent.
In 1981, he was hired as a reporter forWCBS-TV in New York City. In 1982, he became a reporter and weekend anchor onKNXT in Los Angeles, and the next year he returned to WCBS-TV as a reporter and weekend anchor. In 1986, Holt moved toWBBM-TV in Chicago, where he spent 14 years anchoring the evening news. Holt not only worked at the anchor desk but also reported extensively from troubled spots around the world, including Iraq, Northern Ireland, Somalia, El Salvador and Haiti.[19]
Holt joinedMSNBC in 2000. In 2003, he assumed full-time duties atNBC News, where he became a substitute anchor forNBC Nightly News andToday. Holt became a full-time co-anchor ofWeekend Today following the death of previous co-anchorDavid Bloom.[24] Until late 2005, he also anchored a two-hour daily newscast on MSNBC. On May 9, 2007, Holt was named anchor of the weekend edition ofNBC Nightly News, anchoring the show for eight years before replacing Brian Williams as permanent anchor of the weekday edition.[25] Additionally, Holt is the current host for NBC'sDateline. He moderated a presidential debate in 2016, and interviewed President Donald Trump in 2017, where fellow journalists said that he asked tough but appropriate questions.
In addition to his primary responsibilities at NBC News, he hosted a special forThe History Channel about the9/11 conspiracy theories, served as a sportsdesk reporter forNBC Sports coverage of the2008 Summer Olympics,[26] and is the host ofDateline on ID, an edition ofDateline NBC shown on theInvestigation Discovery network.[27] In 2008, he narrated a documentary regarding actual crystal skulls on theSci-Fi Channel.
WhenBrian Williams took medical leave in 2013 for knee replacement surgery, Holt filled in as weekday anchor. In 2015, Williams was suspended for reportedly exaggerating a story about the Iraq War, and Holt permanently replaced him asNBC Nightly News anchor.[28][29][5]
Holt moderated the Democratic presidential candidates' debate in January 2016, alongside a panel of NBC political reporters,[30] as well as thefirst presidential debate on September 26, 2016.[31] Prior to the debate, presidential candidateDonald Trump said that this was "a very unfair system" because "Lester is aDemocrat" (Holt was at the time a registeredRepublican. He changed his party affiliation to independent in 2018).[32][1] Afterward, Donald Trump said that Holt did "a good job". Journalists also said that Holt performed admirably; for example he challenged Trump when Trump said that he originally opposed the war in Iraq, which was proven to be a false statement.[33][34]The Washington Post said "Kudos to Holt" for making it clear thatstop and frisk was ruled unconstitutional in New York, when Trump said it wasn't.[35]
In May 2017, when Holt interviewed President Trump, they discussed Trump'sfiring of FBI director James Comey.[36] Holt's interview with Trump resulted in extensive media coverage.[37][38]
In 2020, Holt extensively covered theCOVID-19 pandemic and saw a spike in ratings alongside the other evening news shows.[39] He also sometimes ended his shows with monologues, reflecting on the pandemic and its impact. He also ended his show with a monologue after theJanuary 6 Capitol Attack, criticizing Trump and the culture of disinformation that led to the attack.[40][41] In 2022, Holt announced the death ofQueen Elizabeth II in an NBC News Special Report,[42] and in 2023, he interviewedEbrahim Raisi, president of Iran.[43] In October 2023, Holt traveled toIsrael to cover the2023 Hamas attack on Israel, and the ongoingGaza war[44] On November 8, 2023, he co-moderated the thirdGOP Primary Debate, alongsideHugh Hewitt andKristen Welker.[45] The debate drew 7.5 million viewers.[46] Since 2020, Holt has signed off by saying "I'm Lester Holt; please take care of yourself, and each other. Good night."[47][48]
In May 2025, Holt stepped down as the host ofNBC Nightly News, taking up the position of a host onDateline NBC. In his last show, he said, "Please take care of yourself, and each other, and I'll do the same."[9]
Holt has made cameo appearances in the 1993 filmThe Fugitive, its 1998 sequelU.S. Marshals, andPrimal Fear (1996), as well as on television shows, playing himself in episodes ofLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit; the episode "Red, White, or Blue" of the seriesDue South; "Fate" ofEarly Edition and "A New Hope" ofWarehouse 13. He appeared on the episode "Cleveland" of the NBC sitcom30 Rock. He also did a voice-over in the episode "Sandwich Day," announcing thatJack Donaghy would be a new cabinet member in the Bush administration. Holt announced the 2006, 2007, and 2008Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show for theUSA Network, and was featured inMaking Music magazine. He also hosted the 2008Sci-Fi Channel documentaryMystery of the Crystal Skulls.[49][50] On May 31, 2020, Holt delivered a virtual commencement speech for the 254th graduating class ofRutgers University due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
.jpg)
Holt resides in Manhattan with his wife, Carol Hagen; they have two sons, Stefan and Cameron.[24]Stefan Holt graduated in 2009 fromPepperdine University and was the morning news anchor at NBC-ownedWMAQ-TV in Chicago.[58] In 2016, Stefan moved to the same floor as his father'sNightly News when joiningWNBC, and he eventually succeeded veteranChuck Scarborough as anchor of the station's 11 p.m. news broadcast.[59] Stefan currently is the 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 pm anchor at WMAQ.
Lester Holt playsbass guitar and the upright bass[25][60][61] and performs in the bandRough Cuts composed mostly of video editors fromDateline NBC.[62]
Holt attends the ManhattanChurch of Christ in New York.[63]
| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Weekend Today Co-Anchor 2003–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NBC Nightly News Weekend Edition Anchor 2007–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NBC Nightly News Weekday Edition Anchor 2015–2025 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Dateline NBC Anchor 2011–present | Incumbent |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
