Tom Llamas Is Settline in at NBC After Making a Dramatic Departure From ABC News

Even at the highest levels of the news business, career shifts happen regularly and sometimes quite suddenly. That was the case for Tom Llamas, who was working as the weekend anchor of World News Tonight on ABC. Just recently, though, news broke that Tom quit his job at ABC and has taken a new role at NBC. According to Page Six, Tom left ABC in a somewhat dramatic manner. 

Now that Tom is leaving ABC, many fans are wondering exactly why he made that decision. Apparently, Tom announced his decision to leave in a meeting with ABC News president James Goldston during the week of Jan. 25. As he moves to NBC, it seems that his role will be wide-ranging and will feature appearances on the network's news shows, streaming platforms, and on MSNBC. 

“The NBC deal is still being finalized. Tom is a big talent and he could do lots of things across streaming, across the network, and even cable," an insider said. "He started his career at NBC, he will be welcomed back.”

Tom's departure from ABC was quite sudden, although it's unclear whether there was any ill-will between Tom and his former network. 

Tom began his career with NBC as a member of the Specials Unit and eventually moved over the NBC as a reporter. He moved to ABC News in 2014 and began filling in when David Muir, the weeknight host of World News Tonight, was absent. He became the permanent weekend anchor of the program in January of 2017. As he returns to NBC, the 41-year-old journalist still has plenty of time to become an even more prominent part of the TV news universe. 

As a journalist, Tom has been largely unafraid to get confrontational when he needs to. That was evident in an exchange he had with Donald Trump in 2016 when he was the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican Party. 

During a press conference, Trump was touting a fundraiser that he said had raised almost $6 million and claimed that he was going to distribute it to various veterans' groups. When Tom asked how the money would be distributed, things got heated. 

Eventually, Trump described Tom as a "sleaze." 

“You’re a sleaze because you know the facts and you know the facts well,” Trump said, explaining his reasons for using the term. 

After the exchange made headlines, ABC News came to Tom's defense, saying that he had proven himself to be an excellent journalist who was never unnecessarily rude. 

“Tom is one of the best journalists in the country,” ABC News told Deadline. “He is also one of the most respectful and respected.” 

That exchange proved to be just one of many heated confrontations that were part of Trump's legacy of antagonism toward the press. Now, Tom and the rest of the country's top journalists will have to deal with the ways in which the former president changed the media landscape. 

Fans of Tom can rest easy knowing that he hasn't disappeared from news media forever. In fact, Tom has taken over as the newest anchor on Today. Since moving to NBC in April of 2021, Tom was named a senior national correspondent for NBC News and became an anchor for the newscast on their streaming service, NBC News Now. Tom also contributes to NBC Nightly News as part of his new NBC duties.