Lester Don Holt Jr. is a renowned American broadcast journalist who is best known for his work at the NBC Network where he serves in the capacity of a news anchor. Holt appears as the host of NBC network’s weekdays edition of the newscast ‘NBC Nightly News’, while also anchoring the program ‘Dateline NBC’. Holt previously served as the co-anchor of ‘Weekend Today’, hosting the show from 2003-2015. He also hosted ‘NBC Nightly News’ weekend edition from 2007 to 2015. Additionally, Holt also spent almost 2 decades of his career, serving at the national CBS News Network, 1981- 2000 and was also employed by MSNBC from 2000 to 2003 before he found full-time employment at NBC in 2003.

Holt is recognized as one of the most well-respected broadcast journalists in USA, having spent more than 35 years in the field. He has been felicitated with several accolades and honours which include the 1990 Robert F. Kennedy Award for Journalism, the Alan B. DuMont award in broadcast journalism, and 1 Honorary Doctorate each from California State University, Sacramento and Pepperdine University. In October 2015, Holt’s name was inducted into the California Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Education

Holt was born on 8^th March 1959 in Marin County, California as the only child of his parents. His mother, June DeRozario was a regional planner while his father Lester Don Holt, Sr. served in the U.S. Air Force. While Holt is of English and Jamaican descent on his mother’s side of the family, he has Scottish descent on his father’s side.

Holt was educated at the Cordova High School, Rancho Cordova, California from where he completed his graduation and enrolled into California State University, Sacramento. Although he opted to major in government, did not graduate. Holt discovered his passion for journalism at CSU and got his first job as a radio jockey while in college, while also serving as a disc jockey later on.

Career Rise

Holt began his journalism career in 1981 when he was hired by the New York City based CBS affiliate WCBS-TV as a reporter. He then found employment as a weekend anchor and news reporter at another CBS affiliate, KNXT based in Los Angeles, California. Holt returned to New York City and WCBS in 1983 and continued to serve as a reporter and weekend anchor. In 1986, Holt shifted his base to Chicago after he was offered the position of an evening news anchor and field reporter by WBBM-TV. While at WBBM-TV, Holt reported news events from Iraq, Somalia, Northern Ireland, Haiti etc.

Holt started gaining national recognition after joining MSNBC in 2000. By 2003, Holt was assigned to a full-time position at NBC, where he started serving in the capacity of a substitute anchor on ‘The Today Show’ and ‘NBC Nightly News’. After the passing of co-anchor David Bloo, Holt was named the full-time anchor of the newscast ‘Weekend Today’s. In 2007, Holt started anchoring ‘NBC Nightly News’, weekend edition, succeeding John Seigenthaler. Holt also served as the host of the NBC special on the conspiracy theories about 9/11 attacks in USA that aired on The History Channel, doubled as a sports reporter during the Summer Olympics of 2008 and anchored shows on the Sci-Fi Channel and Investigation Discovery network. In June 2017, Holt became ‘NBC Nightly News; weeknights edition’s permanent host.  Since 2011, Holt has also been serving as the anchor of ‘Dateline NBC’.

Wife

Holt dated his girlfriend, Carol Hagen, a former flight attendant, who currently works as a real estate agent, for many years until he married her in 1982. Holt and Hagen have two sons together named Stefan and Cameron. Stefan, like his father, is also a news journalist who also serves as an NBC anchor.

Trivia

Holt is passionate about music and loves to play the bass guitar. He identifies himself as a Republican. He is also a devout Christian and regularly attends mass at Manhattan Church of Christ in New York City.

Lester Holt – Net Worth and Salary

Holt draws an annual salary of over $4.5 Million. He has an estimated net worth of approximately $12 Million.