NEW YORK (Diya TV) — NBC News announced Wednesday that Tom Llamas will become the new anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News,” succeeding Lester Holt, who will step down this summer after a decade in the role.
Llamas, 45, is now the senior national correspondent and anchor of “Top Story with Tom Llamas” on NBC News NOW. He will continue to anchor “Top Story” every weeknight in addition to his new role.In his excitement, Llamas said, “Anchoring ‘Nightly News’ is a deep privilege and one that represents a tremendous responsibility.” He further said, “I am looking forward to collaborating with the world-class journalists at ‘Nightly News’ and ‘Top Story’ to deliver viewers the most significant stories every evening.”
NBC News executive vice president of programming Janelle Rodriguez credited Llamas with “journalistic excellence, passionate storytelling, and unflinching integrity.” She said these have been hallmarks of “NBC Nightly News” for years. Rodriguez also mentioned Llamas’ role in building NBC News NOW into a top streaming news network, helping bring NBC News to a new generation of audiences.
Llamas will become history’s first Latino anchor to host the weeknight version of “NBC Nightly News.” José Díaz-Balart, an anchor for a show on MSNBC, now anchors Saturday editions of “Nightly News.”
Lester Holt, 65, last month revealed his intention to retire this summer. He will remain in his relationship with NBC as the permanent host of “Dateline,” a show he has anchored for almost 15 years. Holt wished Llamas well, stating that he is taking “not only one of the great jobs, but it’s a great staff.” He urged the staff to give Llamas all their support throughout the transition.
Llamas started his journalism career as an intern at a local Telemundo station before joining NBC News as an overnight production assistant and campaign embed. He then worked at WTVJ and WNBC, and served as ABC’s chief national affairs correspondent and weekend anchor of “World News Tonight.” He returned to NBC News in 2021, serving in roles such as senior national correspondent and anchor of “Top Story.”
During his career, Llamas has reported on breaking news and political developments, covering big stories from all over the world, such as the Israel-Hamas conflict, Russia’s attack on Ukraine, and several natural disasters. He has also interviewed well-known personalities like President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
