CNN
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Tom Llamas will replace Lester Holt as the face of “NBC Nightly News.”
Llamas is expected to take over the anchor seat as well as managing editor duties this summer, the broadcaster shared on Wednesday. In addition to his “Nightly News” duties, Llamas will stay on as anchor of NBC News NOW’s weeknight streaming newscast, “Top Story with Tom Llamas.”
“Tom has the winning combination of journalistic excellence, passionate storytelling and unyielding integrity — all characteristics that have long been trademarks of ‘NBC Nightly News,’” Janelle Rodriguez, NBC News’ executive vice president for programming, said in a statement. Llamas will be the first Latino journalist to host the weeknight version of “Nightly News.”
Llamas’ stewardship of the program follows Holt’s announcement last week that he would step away from the show this summer after a decade. Though he’ll no longer be the face of “Nightly News,” Holt will continue to host “Dateline NBC,” the network’s prime time newsmagazine.
In a statement, Llamas praised Holt’s tenure at the program’s helm, calling him “a great man and one of the most trusted broadcasters of our time.”
“Just like Lester, I promise to be devoted to our viewers and dedicated to the truth,” Llamas said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the world class journalists at ‘Nightly News’ and ‘Top Story’ to bring viewers the most important stories every night.”
Llamas kicked off his career at NBC News 25 years ago as an overnight production assistant and rejoined in 2021 as a senior national correspondent. Shortly after his return, he was named the “Top Story” anchor, where he leads breaking news events and special coverage.
As Llamas approaches his time in the anchor chair, “Nightly News” is consistently ranked a Top 5 regularly scheduled program across all TV. The show’s broadcast regularly reaches millions of viewers and, in February, it reported year-on-year growth and achieved a six-month high in the key 25 to 54 demo.