Lester Holt | |
|---|---|
 Holt in November 2022 | |
| Born | March 8, 1959 |
| 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–present) 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 of NBC Nightly News and NBC Nightly News Kids Edition |
| Predecessor | Brian Williams |
| Political party | Independent (2018–present)[1] Republican (until 2018)[2][1] |
| Spouse |
Carol Hagen (m. 1982) |
| Children | 2, including Stefan Holt |
Lester Don Holt Jr. (born March 8, 1959)[3] is an American news anchor for the weekday edition of NBC Nightly News, NBC Nightly News Kids Edition, and Dateline NBC. On June 18, 2015, Holt was made the permanent anchor of NBC Nightly News following the demotion of Brian Williams. Holt followed in the career footsteps of Max Robinson, an ABC 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 for fact-checking the candidates for false statements while struggling to keep control of the debate and unable to adhere to time restrictions.[7] While NBC Nightly News was the top-ranked evening news program for over 30 years during the Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams eras, ratings dropped to second place after Holt began as anchor.[8]
- ^ a b Prince, Richard (March 19, 2018). "Lester Holt Drops GOP Registration". Journalisms. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019./
- ^ Borchers, Callum (September 25, 2016). "5 things to know about presidential debate moderator Lester Holt". The Fix (blog). The Washington Post. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ^ "Today in history: March 8th". WBBH. March 9, 2009. Archived from the original on March 14, 2009. Retrieved March 25, 2009.
- ^ Stelter, Brian. "Lester Holt gets anchor chair in historic moment for black journalists". CNN Money. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- ^ Flint, Joe (June 17, 2015). "Brian Williams to Stay at NBC, but Lester Holt Will Be Anchor". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ^ "America's Most Trusted TV News Anchors Revealed (Exclusive Poll)". The Hollywood Reporter. November 13, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ Fahri, Paul (September 26, 2016). "Holt strikes a moderate tone as debate moderator". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017.
- ^ Katz, A. J. (June 30, 2020). "Q2 2020 Evening News Ratings: World News Tonight Is America's Most-Watched Evening Newscast, Both in Total Viewers and A25-54". Adweek.