By The Big Magazine Staff
Several Today hosts turned to social media to honor Lester Holt, the former co-anchor of Weekend Today, following the announcement of his Nightly News departure on Monday, February 24.
Holt became the anchor of Nightly News in June 2015, following eight years of leading the weekend editions of the broadcast and 12 years of co-anchoring “Weekend TODAY.” Since September 2011, he has also been the principal anchor of “Dateline.”
“Congrats to @lesterholtnbc on an amazing decade and the new chapter about to unfold!” Savannah Guthrie captioned an Instagram pic of the two working together on past presidential election coverage. “I’m grateful for getting to share so many historic moments right by your side – always, always the class act ❤️.”
Over the years, Guthrie has collaborated with Lester Holt on covering a range of political events for NBC, including Today and Nightly News.
Dylan Dreyer shared her own tribute on Instagram on Monday about her experience working with Lester Holt. She joined Today in 2012 and collaborated with Holt until 2015 when he left the Weekend Today show. Dreyer has also appeared alongside Holt on Nightly News and Nightly News: Kids Edition, which was nominated for a Children’s & Family Emmy Award in 2023 in the non-fiction category.
"You’d think the most nerve-wracking day of my career was my first day on air at Weekend Today. But @lesterholtnbc made me feel so comfortable from day 1. It has been a true honor to work and grow along side him from then, to hurricane coverage, to @nbcnightlynews, to fun experiments on @nightlykids A true professional, an incredible interviewer and anchor, a friend. Congratulations on this next phase of your inspirational career Lester!!" her caption read.
During his decade leading "Nightly News," Holt reported on the era's pivotal events, from President Donald Trump's political ascent to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the war in Gaza.
“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,” Holt wrote in a note Monday to Nightly and Dateline staffers. “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.”
According to a memo shared with network staff on Monday, Holt will remain a key presence at the network in a full-time position at Dateline, where he has served as the principal anchor for nearly 15 years.
Mere hours following the announcement of Lester Holt's departure, MSNBC's new president, Rebecca Kulter, revealed that veteran journalist Joy Reid and her show, The ReidOut, will also be exiting MSNBC amidst the current wave of changes in television news.
"Joy Reid is leaving the network and we thank her for her countless contributions over the years," Culter wrote in a statement. "Her work has been recognized with several esteemed honors, including most recently, the 2025 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding News Series."
Reid and Holt are not the only journalists affected by the industry's changes on Monday.
A source told The New York Post that Ayman Mohyeldin, Katie Phang and Jonathan Capehart will reportedly have their weekend shows, Ayman Mohyeldin Reports, The Katie Phang Show and The Sunday Show With Jonathan Capehart cancelled.
The NBC News veteran intends to leave in early summer. NBC News has not yet announced Holt’s replacement.
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