Lester Holt Wikipedia | Biography
Lester Holt is a prominent American broadcast journalist, best known for his long-standing role as the anchor of NBC Nightly News and its Kids Edition. He’s currently leading Dateline NBC. On June 18, 2015, Holt officially became the permanent anchor of NBC Nightly News after Brian Williams stepped down amid controversy regarding his Iraq War reporting. With this milestone, Holt made history as the first Black man to solo-anchor a major network evening newscast in the U.S., following in the groundbreaking footsteps of Max Robinson.
Holt is widely admired for his calm demeanor and fair reporting style, which has earned him a strong level of public trust throughout his career. In fact, a national poll in 2018 even named him America’s most trusted television news anchor. He also gained significant attention when he moderated the first presidential debate in 2016 between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Reactions to his performance were mixed; while some praised his real-time fact-checking, others noted the difficulties he faced in managing interruptions and keeping the debate on track.
Despite NBC Nightly News dominating evening television ratings for years during the Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams eras, the program slipped to second place in the ratings during Holt’s time, as competition in the television news landscape grew fiercer. After nearly a decade at the helm of NBC Nightly News, Holt stepped away from the broadcast on May 30, 2025. He then fully embraced his role at Dateline NBC, where he could dive into long-form investigative journalism and in-depth storytelling—an area he has always been passionate about.
Lester Holt Age
So, how old is Lester? As of 2026, he’s 67 years old. He was born on March 8, 1959, at Hamilton Air Force Base in California, USA. And yes, he celebrates his birthday every year on March 8th.
Lester Holt Education
Lester graduated from Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova, where he earned his diploma. He then went on to attend the University of California, where he majored in Government, although he didn’t complete his degree.
Lester Holt Nationality
Lester Holt is an American citizen, born and raised in Hamilton, California. He proudly identifies with his white heritage.
Lester Holt Height
When it comes to his height, Lester stands tall at about 6 feet 2 inches (around 1.88 m), making him above average in stature. However, he hasn’t shared any specifics about his other body measurements publicly.
Lester Holt family
Lester grew up in California, surrounded by the love of his mother, June, and his father, Lester Don Holt Sr. He’s the youngest of four siblings, and his grandparents hail from Jamaica. Unfortunately, he hasn’t disclosed much about his siblings, but we’re on the lookout for more information and will keep you updated.
Lester Holt Wife
In his personal life, Lester is happily married to his wonderful wife, Carol Hagen. Together, they have two sons, Stefan and Cameron. Stefan graduated from Pepperdine University in 2009 and has made a name for himself as a morning news anchor at NBC’s WMAQ in Chicago. Interestingly, he now works alongside his father. While Lester keeps many details about his marriage private, it’s clear he values his family deeply.
Nightly News
Lester Holt is a prominent American broadcast journalist, best known for his long-standing role as the anchor of NBC Nightly News and its Kids Edition. He’s currently leading Dateline NBC. On June 18, 2015, Holt officially became the permanent anchor of NBC Nightly News after Brian Williams stepped down amid controversy regarding his Iraq War reporting. With this milestone, Holt made history as the first Black man to solo-anchor a major network evening newscast in the U.S., following in the groundbreaking footsteps of Max Robinson.
Holt is widely admired for his calm demeanor and fair reporting style, which has earned him a strong level of public trust throughout his career. In fact, a national poll in 2018 even named him America’s most trusted television news anchor. He also gained significant attention when he moderated the first presidential debate in 2016 between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Reactions to his performance were mixed; while some praised his real-time fact-checking, others noted the difficulties he faced in managing interruptions and keeping the debate on track.
Despite NBC Nightly News dominating evening television ratings for years during the Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams eras, the program slipped to second place in the ratings during Holt’s time, as competition in the television news landscape grew fiercer. After nearly a decade at the helm of NBC Nightly News, Holt stepped away from the broadcast on May 30, 2025. He then fully embraced his role at Dateline NBC, where he could dive into long-form investigative journalism and in-depth storytelling—an area he has always been passionate about.
Salary
Lester primarily makes his living as a senior journalist and correspondent for Sunday Today, which brings him an estimated annual salary of around $119,000.
Lester Holt Net Worth
A significant portion of his wealth comes from his successful career in journalism, leading to an estimated net worth of about $6 million.