Relax, Lester Holt Wasn't Fired From NBC, but He Is Getting a New Job
Lester announced in February 2025 that he is stepping down as the anchor of 'NBC Nightly News.'
Published Feb. 24 2025, 4:22 p.m. ET
After serving as the anchor for NBC Nightly News for over a decade, Lester Holt announced a major career shift in February 2025 — he’s swapping gigs! He took over Nightly News in June 2015, while also resuming his role as principal anchor for Dateline, a position he had held since 2011, according to his NBC News bio.
Before that, Lester anchored Weekend TODAY for 12 years. His NBC career has spanned more than two decades, starting in 2000. With this major career change, fans are left wondering: Was Lester Holt fired from NBC? Here's everything to know.
Was Lester Holt fired from NBC?
No, Lester Holt wasn’t fired from NBC. Instead, he’s stepping down as anchor of NBC Nightly News to take on a full-time role at Dateline, where he has served as principal anchor for nearly 15 years. So, he’ll still be with NBC, just in a different capacity.
Lester shared the news on Feb. 24, 2025, in a memo to staff, per NBC News. "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," he wrote.
His memo continued, "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."
Lester will continue anchoring NBC Nightly News until the summer of 2025 when he’ll transition into his full-time role with Dateline. His successor has not yet been named by NBC.
Why is Lester Holt switching roles at NBC?
It’s unclear what prompted Lester to step down from his NBC Nightly News anchor role for a full-time position with Dateline, but the network clearly values him. His extensive coverage includes interviewing former President Joe Biden and reporting on major events like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic.
NBC made it clear just how much Lester means to the network in a staff memo. Janelle Rodriguez, executive vice president of programming for NBC News, praised his leadership, writing, "[Lester] has led the network during some of the country’s most fraught and challenging times in the past decade," and added, "Quite simply, Lester is the beating heart of this news organization."
Fans of Lester Holt weren't pleased by the news of him stepping down from his role.
When news broke in February 2025 that Lester was stepping down from his NBC Nightly News anchor role, fans weren’t exactly thrilled. "Lester Holt is our go-to. We put more trust in him than any other anchor on any other format. He will definitely be missed. My hope is that this was his decision, not a forced exit," wrote @neloprime on X (formerly Twitter).
Many expressed concern about losing their trusted source of nightly news, but rest assured — Lester’s departure from the anchor desk isn’t due to poor performance or a network decision to cut ties. He’s simply switching gears. So, for those still worried: Lester wasn’t fired from NBC — he’s just taking on a new role.