The turnover of Black anchors in nightly news continues. 24 hours after it was announced that “The ReidOut” anchored by Joy Reid has been canceled at MSNBC, Lester Holt announced he’s stepping down from NBC’s “Nightly News.”
On Monday, in a memo to his colleagues, the 65-year-old veteran news anchor said he would be departing from NBC’s “Nightly News,” where he’s served as anchor and managing editor for the last decade.
“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,” he wrote in the memo, per NBC. “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.”
Holt, who has worked at the network for more than two decades, became the host of “Nightly News” in June 2015 after Brian Williams’ exit. Before that, Holt led weekend editions of the news broadcast for eight years and co-anchored “Weekend TODAY” for 12 years. He has served as principal anchor of “Dateline” since September 2011.
When Holt steps down from hosting “Nightly News” this summer he is expected to remain with “Dateline,” full-time.
During his tenure with “Nightly News,” the news anchor covered monumental breaking stories and culture-shaping current events including the first Trump administration, the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the conflict in Gaza. More recently, his coverage has included a “Dateline” special highlighting the devastation brought by the historic wildfires in Los Angeles.
NBC has yet to name a successor for Holt.
In addition to Reid and Holt, there’s been a third recent shakeup at NBC’s sister network MSNBC involving a Black anchor. On Monday, it was also announced that Jonathan Capehart, who hosted “The Sunday Show” for the network, will no longer be a part of the weekend lineup. While Capehart is among a handful of progressive left-wing leaning anchors whose shows were canceled, a source confirmed to the New York Post that he is remaining but will begin appearing at a different time slot.
