Holt has been the lead anchor of Nightly News for a decade, succeeding Brian Williams. Before taking over the weekday edition he led the weekend Nightly News and was the primary fill-in anchor when Williams was out. Holt joined NBC News in 2000, and has been contributing to Dateline since 2011.

Lester Holt is stepping down from his role as anchor of “NBC Nightly News,” he announced to staff Monday.Holt, an NBC veteran who has anchored the weeknight show since June 2015, will maintain his role until the start of summer,

The newscaster will continue his full-time role as the lead anchor of NBC's "Dateline." Seasoned NBC journalist Lester Holt has announced that he is stepping down as the anchor of NBC Nightly News, joining a growing list of newscasters who are parting ways with NBC amid network shakeups.