NBC News appointed Tom Llamas — the son of Cuban exiles and Belen Jesuit Preparatory School — to replace Lester Holt as anchor of “Nightly News." Holt is leaving the anchor chair this summer.
The elevation this week of Llamas, 45, was widely anticipated. He has been Holt's chief substitute on the broadcast news summary since switching from ABC to NBC in 2021. He's also essentially the lead anchor for the NBC News Now streaming service, hosting the one-hour “Top Story” show.
Holt said previously he was stepping down from “Nightly News” after a decade. He plans to stay at the network to work at “Dateline NBC.”
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“Tom has the winning combination of journalistic excellence, passionate storytelling and unyielding integrity — all characteristics that have long been trademarks of NBC `Nightly News,' said Janelle Rodriguez, NBC News' executive vice president of programming.
Llamas was born in Miami on July 2, 1979, the son of Cuban exiles who fled the Castro regime. He's also a 1979 graduate of the Belen Jesuit Preparatory School.
The Belen Alumni Association this week applauded Llamas’ promotion on its Instagram page.
“Congratulations to Tom Llamas ‘97 on being named anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News” after Lester Holt steps down this summer! We are very proud of all your accomplishments. #BelenForLife #AlwaysBelen #BelenAlumni,” the group posted.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
