Lester Holt Delivers Final Broadcast on 'NBC Nightly News' After 10 Years: 'The Honor of a Lifetime' (2025)

After more than a decade as anchor, Lester Holt has signed off of NBC Nightly News for the final time.

Holt kicked off the May 30 episode by calling his time anchoring Nightly News "the honor of a lifetime."

"After 10 years at Nightly News, it's my final broadcast — from Paris to Tokyo, Uvalde to Ukraine, the greatest generation to the wild blue yonder, the news we've covered, the people we've met and the stories we've told. Your stories. My gratitude to all of you on this special night," he said.

Holt, 66, ended the episode with a longer speech, saying, "As anchor, it has been an honor to lead this program and an honor to be welcomed into your homes. I'm so grateful for your trust."

"Around here, facts matter, words matter, journalism matters and you matter," he continued. "Over the last decade, we have shared some dark and harrowing days and nights from our country — the pandemic, mass shootings, natural disasters — each testing our resilience and our compassion. That's why I often like to leave you with something to smile about, moments that reassure and connect us."

"I'll miss our evenings together, and I will miss the team that puts it all together, my dear friends and my colleagues. But for now, I just want to say thank you to my incredibly supportive and patient family and all of you," he concluded. "Please continue to take care of yourself and each other, and I'll do the same."

Holt also wished his successor, Tom Llamas, "great success" when he begins anchoring Nightly News on Monday, June 2.

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Appearing on the Today show earlier on Friday, May 30, Holt said his decision to leave Nightly News came about as he was offered the opportunity to take on "a bigger role" at Dateline.

"The time just seemed to be right," he said. "You know, you hit a certain age and you start kind of thinking, 'What's the back part of my career going to look like?' I never wanted to be one of those people that was totally associated with just one thing."

Holt also told Today he's looking forward to spending time with his grandchildren.

Holt announced his exit in a memo to Nightly News and Dateline staff on Feb. 24, writing, "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."

"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 took over Nightly News from Brian Williams in 2015. He has been hosting Dateline since 2011.

Llamas, who also hosts Top Story with Tom Llamas, was named Nightly News' new anchor in March.

"Anchoring NBC Nightly News is a profound honor and one that carries tremendous responsibility. I look forward to working with the world-class journalists at Nightly News and Top Story to bring viewers the most important stories every night,” Llamas said in a statement at the time.

Llamas went on to call Holt "a great man and one of the most trusted broadcasters of our time," adding, " Just like Lester, I promise to be devoted to our viewers and dedicated to the truth."