Lester Holt stepping down as 'NBC Nightly News' anchor after 10 years

Lester Holt and NBC News have announced that the veteran anchor — also network TV's first solo Black anchor of a major evening newscast — will step down from "Nightly News" this summer.

In an internal memo released to news outlets Monday morning, Holt — who turns 66 in March — said that after "10 years, 17 if you include my years on the weekends, the time has come for me to step away from my role as anchor of Nightly News." No replacement was announced.

Holt added that he will join "Dateline NBC" full time, "whereby I will be expanding my footprint on the broadcast and crafting Dateline hours on subjects I care deeply about."

Holt's departure comes at a particularly unsettled time for both the news division and NBCUniversal. Corporate parent Comcast plans to spin off its cable networks later this year, effectively orphaning MSNBC from NBC News — and vice versa. Over the weekend, Joy Reid was dropped from her 7 p.m. weeknight MSNBC show; earlier, NBC News veterans Chuck Todd and Hoda Kotb had also announced their departures.

Nevertheless, Holt's departure is a surprise for a few reasons. "Nightly" has been a solid No. 2 behind ABC's "World News Tonight with David Muir," while internally, the well-liked Holt has long been considered a rock of stability. In her own memo, Janelle Rodriguez, NBC News' executive vice president of programming, wrote "Lester is the beating heart of this news organization."

Moreover, Holt's role has been historic. Max Robinson had earlier been part of a three-man anchor team for ABC News, while Carole Simpson had anchored the weekend editions of "World News Tonight." Holt also replaced Brian Williams, who was dropped by "Nightly" in the wake of statements he made exaggerating his role during coverage of the second Iraq War.  

Holt, a California native, spent the bulk of the early part of his career as a reporter and anchor in Chicago. After he had been demoted at radio station WBBM in 1999, he joined MSNBC the following year at a pivotal moment for the struggling network and anchor. Along with another newcomer, Ashleigh Banfield, both filled countless hours covering the disputed presidential election and fallout. After suddenly being tagged a rising star, Holt told Newsday at the time, "[I]t's fun. It's certainly always nice to be recognized, but part of me has scratched my head because I came from a situation where I was demoted, and frankly, that kind of shakes your confidence. So to come off that situation and suddenly bounce into this, there are a few moments when I shake my head and think, 'what a business, what a business.' "

In his memo Monday, Holt wrote, "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."

He added, "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."