Lester Holt to exit NBC Nightly News in major shakeup for network as he pens farewell note and gives update on next move

NBC News mainstay Lester Holt has stepped down from anchoring duties in the latest blow to the embattled network.

He’s paring down his responsibilities as mainstream media outlets are crumbling under shocking departures and a post-election slump.

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Lester Holt has announced he will step down from his NBC News hosting dutiesCredit: Getty

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He will stay with the network as a Dateline reporterCredit: Getty

Holt, 61, will no longer host NBC Nightly News at 6:30 pm but will stay working with the long-form TV show Dateline, he announced Monday.

In a note written to his staff, Holt thanked everyone for all their hard work and said he looked forward to continuing his work on the investigations team.

“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 said.

“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 started anchoring the program in June 2015 after hosting weekend news programs for the network for 12 years.

He’s also been the principal anchor for Dateline since September 2011.

The heavyweight journalist’s shocking announcement comes after NBC Universal has seen an influx of departures and high-profile firings as it makes major business strategy changes.

Sister company MSNBC has undergone significant change since getting a new president and has been battling volatile viewership since Donald Trump handily won the election.

On Sunday, anchor Joy Reid’s entire staff for her program The Reidout was told that she was being let go and that the show had been canceled.

Reid, who has been anchoring for the network since 2014, confirmed the news and said she’d been signing off for the last time on Monday night.

MSNBC’s Uncertain Future: Joy Reid’s Final Farewell
Meanwhile, the wildly popular Rachel Maddow has been thrust back into the anchoring chair full-time for Trump’s first 100 days in a desperate appeal to staunch liberal viewers.

Before the change, she was reportedly making millions by appearing only on Monday nights.

And the program Ayman Mohyeldin Reports will reportedly be canceled in April as a part of the network-wide shakeup, sources told The Guardian.

The Today show, which remains one of NBC Universal’s most popular programs, is now looking different after beloved host Hoda Kotb left the network.

In his email to staff, Holt said that he would continue hosting Nightly News until the beginning of the summer, when he would move to Dateline full-time.

“As we get closer, I’ll of course firm up the date and keep all of you in the loop,” he told staff.

“In the meantime, to my Nightly friends, I look forward to sharing some banana pudding as is our send-off tradition.”

BIG NEWS

Journalist Chuck Todd, who announced his departure from NBC News last month, explained why he believes the network is struggling.

He was with the network for 18 years and was one of the most outspoken voices protesting the hiring of former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel as an analyst.

When McDaniel’s hiring was announced nearly a year ago, anchors combined forces to immediately oust her from the network.

In a memo written to colleagues, Todd said, “National media can’t win trust back without having a robust partner locally and trying to game algorithms is no way to inform and report.

“People are craving community and that’s something national media or the major social media companies can’t do as well as local media.

“If you do this job seeking popularity or to simply be an activist, you are doing this job incorrectly.”

Lester Holt’s full email to staff

“Hello to all my Nightly News and Dateline colleagues. I want to share with you a big decision I have made about my future at NBC News. A future that I’m happy to say will keep me here for years to come and doing what I love.

After 10 years, 17 if you include my years on the weekends, my time has come for me to step away from my role as anchor of Nightly News. It has truly been the honor of a lifetime to work with each of you every day, keeping journalism as our true north and our viewers at the center of everything we do.

But before we play the walk off music, I have another announcement. I’m excited to report I will be continuing as anchor of Dateline NBC, but for the first time in a fulltime capacity whereby I will be expanding my footprint on the broadcast and crafting Dateline hours on subjects I care deeply about. I am thrilled to be able to work more closely with my enormously talented friends at Dateline as the broadcast continues to grow and attract new viewers in new places.

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.

All of you at Dateline and Nightly News are part of a formidable team and, in my opinion, are the greatest group of journalists one could hope to work with. It is a true privilege.

Thank you in advance for your kindness and understanding during this transition.

I plan to continue anchoring Nightly through around the start of summer. As we get closer, I’ll of course firm up the date and keep all of you in the loop. In the meantime, to my Nightly friends, I look forward to sharing some banana pudding as is our send-off tradition.

With deep affection and admiration,

Lester”