Lester Don Holt Jr. (born March 8, 1959) is an American journalist and news anchor for the weekday edition of ''

NBC Nightly News ''NBC Nightly News'' (titled as ''NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt'' for its weeknight broadcasts since June 22, 2015) is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News, the news division of the NBC television network in the U ...

'' and ''

Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' is a weekly American television news magazine/reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on true crime stories with only occasio ...

''. On June 18, 2015, Holt was made the permanent anchor of ''NBC Nightly News'' following the demotion of

Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American retired journalist and television news anchor. He was a reporter for '' NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in 2004. ...

. Holt followed in the career footsteps of Max Robinson, an

ABC News ABC News is the journalism, news division of the American broadcast network American Broadcasting Company, ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other progra ...

evening co-anchor, and Holt became the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

to solo anchor a weekday network nightly newscast. According to a 2018 poll, Holt was ranked as being the most trusted TV news anchor in America. Holt was also known for his moderation of the first presidential debate of 2016 and was praised by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' columnists for his role in fact-checking false statements. While ''NBC Nightly News'' was the top-ranked evening news program for over 30 years during the

Tom Brokaw Thomas John Brokaw (; born February 6, 1940) is an American retired network television journalist and author. He first served as the co-anchor of ''The Today Show'' from 1976 to 1981 with Jane Pauley, then as the anchor and managing editor of ' ...

and Brian Williams eras, ratings dropped to second place after Holt began as anchor.

Early life and education

Holt was born on March 8, 1959, on

Hamilton Air Force Base Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

Marin County Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is a ...

, California, the youngest child of four of June (DeRozario) and Lester Don Holt Sr. His maternal grandparents were born in Jamaica. His maternal grandfather Canute DeRozario was an

Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people fall into two different groups: those with mixed Indian and British ancestry, and people of British descent born or residing in India. The latter sense is now mainly historical, but confusions can arise. The ''Oxford English ...

and was one of 14 children of an Indo-Jamaican father from

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comm ...

, India, and a White Jamaican mother from England.Today Show: "Lester and Jenna trace their Jamaican roots"
Aired on September 9, 2012 His maternal grandmother, May, was born in Jamaica but raised in

Harlem, New York Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Harle ...

, where his mother was born. His father was

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

from

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, with roots in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...

. He graduated from Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova in 1977 and majored in government at

California State University, Sacramento California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is the eleventh oldest school in the 23-campus Californi ...

, though he never graduated. In 2012, Holt told ''American Profile'' news magazine: "My first on-air job was actually as a disc jockey at a Country and Western station. The only time I could land a full-time gig was if I was willing to report the news." Holt would keep the job with the radio station through his college years.

Career

Holt spent 19 years with CBS, as a reporter, anchor, and international correspondent. 2005_Lester_Holt_on_Weekend_Today

In 1981, he was hired as a reporter for

WCBS-TV WCBS-TV (channel 2) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside Riverhead, New York–licensed independent station ...

in New York City. In 1982, he became a reporter and weekend anchor on

KNXT KNXT may refer to: * KNXT-LD, a television station (channel 53) licensed to Bakersfield, California * KNXT, the call sign of KCBS-TV KCBS-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

, and the next year he returned because to WCBS-TV as a reporter and weekend anchor. In 1986, Holt moved to

WBBM-TV WBBM-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. Owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division, the station maintains studios on West Washington S ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, where he spent 14 years anchoring the evening news. Holt not only worked at the anchor desk but also reported extensively from troubled spots around the world, including Iraq, Northern Ireland, Somalia, El Salvador and Haiti. Holt joined

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politic ...

in 2000. In 2003, he assumed full-time duties at

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's ...

, where he became a substitute anchor for ''NBC Nightly News'' and ''Today''. Holt became a full-time co-anchor of '' Weekend Today'' following the death of previous co-anchor David Bloom. Until late 2005, he also anchored a two-hour daily newscast on MSNBC. On May 9, 2007, Holt was named anchor of the weekend edition of ''NBC Nightly News'', anchoring the show for eight years before replacing Brian Williams as permanent anchor of the weekday edition. Additionally, Holt is the current host for NBC's Dateline. He moderated a presidential debate in 2016, and interviewed President Donald Trump in 2017, where fellow journalists said that he asked tough but appropriate questions. 2010 Lester Holt during airdrop mission by US Air Force

2010 Lester Holt during airdrop mission by US Air Force

In addition to his primary responsibilities at NBC News, he hosted a special for

The History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Dis ...

about the

9/11 conspiracy theories 9/11 conspiracy theory, conspiracy theories attribute the preparation and execution of the September 11 attacks against the United States to parties other than, or in addition to, al-Qaeda. These include the theory that high-level government ...

, served as a sportsdesk reporter for

NBC Sports NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and it ...

coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics, and is the host of ''Dateline on ID,'' an edition of ''

'' shown on the

Investigation Discovery Investigation Discovery (stylized and branded on-air as ID since 2008) is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to true crime documentaries owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. As of February 2015, approximately 86 million Amer ...

network. In 2008, he narrated a documentary regarding actual crystal skulls on the Sci-Fi Channel. When

took medical leave in 2013 for knee replacement surgery, Holt filled in as weekday anchor. In 2015, Williams was suspended for reportedly exaggerating a story about the Iraq War, and Holt permanently replaced him as ''NBC Nightly News'' anchor. Dr Holly Bamford talks with Lester Holt from NBC Nightly News

Dr Holly Bamford talks with Lester Holt from NBC Nightly News

Holt moderated the Democratic presidential candidates' debate in January 2016, alongside a panel of NBC political reporters, as well as the first presidential debate on September 26, 2016. Presidential candidate

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...

said that this was "a very unfair system" because "Lester is a Democrat". Holt was at the time a registered Republican. However in 2018, he changed his party affiliation to independent. After the debate, Donald Trump said that Holt did "a good job." Journalists also said that Holt performed admirably; for example he challenged Trump when Trump said that he originally opposed the war in Iraq, which was proven to be a false statement. ''The Washington Post'' said "Kudos to Holt" for making it clear that

stop and frisk A ''Terry'' stop in the United States allows the police to briefly detain a person based on reasonable suspicion of involvement in criminal activity. ("In ''Terry v. Ohio'', 392 U. S. 1, 30 (1968), we held that the police can stop and briefly de ...

was ruled unconstitutional in New York, when Trump said it wasn't. In May 2017, when Holt interviewed President Trump, they discussed Trump's firing of FBI director James Comey. Holt's interview with Trump resulted in extensive media coverage.

Other work

Holt has made cameo appearances in the 1993 film '' The Fugitive''; its 1998 sequel '' U.S. Marshals''; and ''

Primal Fear Primal Fear may refer to: * Primal Fear (band) Primal Fear is a German power metal band formed in 1997 by Ralf Scheepers (vocals, ex-Gamma Ray) and Mat Sinner (bass and vocals, Sinner). Sinner and Scheepers formed the band after Scheepers was ...

'' (1996); as well as on television shows, including playing himself in episodes of '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''; the episode "Red, White, or Blue" of the series ''

Due South ''Due South'' is a Canadian crime comedy-drama television series created by Paul Haggis, and produced by Alliance Communications from its premiere on April 26, 1994, to its conclusion after four seasons on March 14, 1999. The series starred ...

''; "Fate" of ''

Early Edition ''Early Edition'' is an American fantasy comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996, to May 27, 2000. Set in Chicago, Illinois, it follows the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each ''Chicago Sun-Times ...

'' and "A New Hope" of ''

Warehouse 13 ''Warehouse 13'' is an American science fiction television series that originally ran from July 7, 2009, to May 19, 2014, on the Syfy network, and was executive produced by Jack Kenny and David Simkins for Universal Cable Productions. Described ...

.'' He appeared on the episode "

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...

" of the NBC sitcom ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', ta ...

.'' He also did a voice-over in the episode " Sandwich Day," announcing that

Jack Donaghy John Francis "Jack" Donaghy ( ) is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom ''30 Rock'', airing from 2006 to 2013. The character was created by series creator Tina Fey, and is portrayed by Alec Baldwin. He was introduced as the Vice President of ...

would be a new cabinet member in the Bush administration. Holt announced the 2006, 2007, and 2008 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show for the

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Mad ...

, and was featured in ''Making Music'' magazine. He also hosted the 2008 Sci-Fi Channel documentary ''

Mystery of the Crystal Skulls ''Mystery of the Crystal Skulls'' is a 2008 American documentary television film hosted by Lester Holt and starring Jaime Awe and Bill Homann. The film is about crystal skulls, hardstone carvings of human skulls whose alleged finders have claimed ...

''. On May 31, 2020, Holt delivered a virtual commencement speech for the 254th graduating class of

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and wa ...

due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

Career timeline

* 1981–2000: CBS owned and operated stations ** 1981–1982:

reporter ** 1982–1983:

weekend anchor and reporter ** 1983–1986: WCBS-TV anchor ** 1986–2000:

anchor and reporter * 2000–present:

** 2000–2003: NBC News /

correspondent ** 2003–2015: '' Weekend Today'' co-anchor ** 2003–present: ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

'' fill-in anchor ** 2007–2015: ''

Weekend'' anchor ** 2009–2015: '' Why Planes Crash'' voiceover ** 2011–present: ''

'' anchor ** August 6, 2013 – September 2, 2013 and February 9, 2015 – June 18, 2015: ''

'' interim anchor ** June 22, 2015 – present: ''NBC Nightly News'' anchor/managing editor (added managing editor in April 2021)

Awards and honors

* 1990:

Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award The Robert F. Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism is a journalism award named after Robert F. Kennedy and awarded by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. The annual awards are issued in several categories and were esta ...

for his work on CBS's ''48 Hours: No Place Like Home'' . * 2012: Honorary Doctorate from

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and ...

* 2015: Honorary Doctorate from

* 2015: Inducted into the

California Hall of Fame The California Hall of Fame honors individuals and families who embody California's innovative spirit and have made their mark on history. The hall and its exhibits are housed in The California Museum in Sacramento. The hall of fame was conceived ...

on October 28, 2015 * 2016: Alan B. DuMont Broadcaster of the Year from

Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public university in New ...

* 2016: NABJ Journalist of the Year Award from the

National Association of Black Journalists The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is an organization of African-American journalists, students, and media professionals. Founded in 1975 in Washington, D.C., by 44 journalists, the NABJ's stated purpose is to provide quality ...

* 2019: Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism * 2020: Honorary Doctorate from

Personal life

Holt resides in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

with his wife, Carol Hagen; they have two sons, Stefan and Cameron.

Stefan Holt Stefan Holt (born c. 1986/1987) is an American journalist and television news anchor for WMAQ-TV the Chicago flagship station of NBC-TV. He anchors alongside Marion Brooks and Allison Rosati for the 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. news programs for ...

graduated in 2009 from

and was the morning news anchor at NBC-owned

WMAQ-TV WMAQ-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, airing programming from the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Telemundo outlet WSNS-TV (chan ...

in Chicago. In 2016, Stefan moved to the same floor as his father's ''Nightly News'' when joining

WNBC WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo statio ...

, and he eventually succeeded veteran Chuck Scarborough as anchor of the station's 11 p.m. news broadcast. Stefan currently is the 10:00 pm anchor at NBC affiliate WMAQ in Chicago. Lester Holt plays

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and s ...

and the upright bass. Holt attends the Manhattan

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * When used in the plural, a New Testament designation for local groups of people following the teachings of Jesus Christ: "...all the churches of Christ greet you", Romans 16:16. * The entire body of Ch ...

in New York.

References

External links

*
Lester Holt
at

* } {{DEFAULTSORT:Holt, Lester 1959 births Living people 20th-century American journalists 21st-century American journalists African-American Christians African-American journalists African-American television hosts African-American television personalities American male journalists American writers of Indian descent American members of the Churches of Christ American people of English descent American people of Jamaican descent American television hosts American television reporters and correspondents California State University, Sacramento alumni NBC News people New York (state) Independents New York (state) Republicans Journalists from New York City People from Manhattan People from Rancho Cordova, California Television anchors from Chicago Television anchors from Los Angeles California Republicans 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people