Thomas Llamas Named New Anchor for NBC Nightly News

NBC News has named Thomas Llamas the new anchor of its flagship evening newscast, NBC Nightly News. 

The network stated Llamas will assume the role later this summer, serving as Lester Holt’s successor, who announced his departure from the broadcast on February 24. The legendary broadcaster announced he is beginning a full-time role at the popular newsmagazine Dateline. 

Interestingly, Llamas will continue to host his NBC News Now streaming series Top Story and anchor the nightly broadcast. He explained in a statement that anchoring the nightly series is a “profound honor” that “carries tremendous responsibility,” and he will look “forward to working with world-class journalists” at both series “to bring viewers the most important stories.” 

“Lester Holt is 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,” he added.

Who Is Thomas Llamas? 

Llamas, a 45-year-old former NBC production assistant and campaign embed, rose through the ranks of ABC News by becoming Chief National Correspondent and the weekend anchor of the World News Tonight broadcast. He returned to NBC in 2021 as a Senior National Correspondent and Streaming Anchor while filling in on the Nightly and the Today broadcast. 

Since joining NBC, Llamas has been a long-time favorite within the network to succeed Holt due to being a two-time Emmy Award winner for his 2012 coverage of Hurricane Sandy. He is also among only a few Latino news anchors on a national network. 

“With 25 years in journalism, Tom has built his career from the ground up—starting as an intern at a local Telemundo station and then with NBC News, before working overnight as a production assistant,” Janelle Rodriguez explained in a memo to her staff. “He gained field experience as a campaign embed, honed his reporting skills as a local journalist at WTVJ and WNBC, and later became the weekend anchor of ABC World News Tonight and a regular fill-in anchor during the week. His seasoned background—both in the field and at the desk—uniquely positions him to carry forward the legacy of Nightly News.”

In the meantime, click here to view the latest episode of Llamas’ Top Story series.