The Truth About Lester Holt And Tom Llamas

Throughout their careers, Holt and Llamas have built up viewership and followings. Deadline reported that Llamas takes up the title of senior national correspondent for NBC News in a big deal struck between the network and himself. Speaking about the move, NBC News president, Noah Oppenheim, said, "Tom brings with him more than two decades of experience tenaciously covering the news across multiple platforms and for many different audiences."

Holt started out as an anchor on NBC "Nightly News" in 2007. Page Six reported that there have been discussions about his ratings. "There are challenges in the ratings. Typically, 'Nightly News' is one of the top five shows in all of TV, but it's still way behind ABC," a source told the publication, "David [Muir] overtook Lester in the last year or two in total viewers and in the key demographic."

And this isn't the first time that rumors have suggested that Llamas may be a threat to Holt's current position. In Feb. 2021 the Daily Mail reported Llamas is "gearing up to become the new face of NBC News and potentially replace longtime anchor Lester Holt." A source told the publication, "'Tom really has the potential to be the new face of NBC News and take over from Lester Holt when the time is right. Lester is beloved at 30 Rock and will eventually transition to a new role at the network. Our former Nightly anchors never actually leave."