Lester Holt stepping down from 'NBC Nightly News'

NBC's Lester Holt is stepping down as anchor of "NBC Nightly News" after 10 years, he announced on Monday. 

"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 to staffers obtained by Fox News Digital. 

"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," Holt added. "What an amazing ride."

Holt will remain at the network and focus full-time on "Dateline" beginning this summer when he leaves "NBC Nightly News." 

NBC'S LESTER HOLT SUGGESTS ‘FREE WILL’ IS PARTLY TO BLAME FOR THE 1 MILLION COVID DEATHS

NBC anchor Lester Holt announced he is stepping down from "NBC Nightly News" after ten years. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)

Holt joined NBC News in 2000 and has also served as principal anchor of "Dateline NBC" since September 2011. He took over "NBC Nightly News" in 2015 following the ousting of his predecessor, Brian Williams, who was moved to MSNBC after being accused of embellishing news events he claimed to have witnessed. 

Holt’s decade in the "NBC Nightly News" anchor chair came after he spent eight years anchoring the weekend edition. 

A replacement for "NBC Nightly News" has not been named. 

NBC News Executive vice president of programming Janelle Rodriguez informed colleagues of the news on Monday. 

"A short time ago, Lester shared with his team that after 10 years as the NBC Nightly News anchor, he’s taking on a dedicated full-time role at Dateline, his second home. Lester will continue at the helm of Nightly until early summer before he devotes his energy to the rapidly-expanding powerhouse that is Dateline," Rodriguez wrote in a memo obtained by Fox News Digital. 

"Because of Lester’s steady and thoughtful leadership, Nightly News has sustained its perch as a trusted and top news destination for millions of viewers across America. He has led the network during some of the country’s most fraught and challenging times in the past decade, most notably during the early days of the pandemic when Lester’s voice was a source of comfort each night for so many. He’s taken viewers to the frontlines of every major story and sat down with world leaders, skillfully eliciting answers on consequential issues," she continued. "Quite simply, Lester is the beating heart of this news organization."

NBC'S LESTER HOLT SAYS WE DON’T NEED TO HEAR BOTH SIDES TO DEFINE TRUTH: ‘FAIRNESS IS OVERRATED’

NBC’s Lester Holt raised eyebrows for saying "fairness is overrated" while accepting a journalism award in 2021. 

Holt, who has spent the past four decades in journalism, ends each newscast by saying, "Please take care of yourself and each other." 

Perhaps Holt’s most memorable moment in recent years came in 2021 when he pressed then-Vice President Kamala Harris about why she hadn’t been to the Southern border to hear her infamously respond, "And I haven't been to Europe." 

In 2021, Holt raised eyebrows for suggesting "fairness is overrated" while accepting a journalism award. 

"I think it’s become clear that fairness is overrated ... the idea that we should always give two sides equal weight and merit does not reflect the world we find ourselves in," Holt said at the time.

"That the sun sets in the west is a fact. Any contrary view does not deserve our time or attention," Holt continued. "Decisions to not give unsupported arguments equal time are not a dereliction of journalistic responsibility or some kind of agenda, in fact, it’s just the opposite."

Holt went on to say that "providing an open platform for misinformation, for anyone to come say whatever they want, especially when issues of public health and safety are at stake, can be quite dangerous," before declaring the duty of reporters is to be "fair to the truth."

Holt’s announcement comes as NBC News and MSNBC have seen major changes in recent months, with Hoda Kotb leaving "Today," former "Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd leaving NBC News, Andrea Mitchell ending her daytime MSNBC program and Joy Reid’s program being canceled by MSNBC.

This is a developing story, more to come… 

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST MEDIA AND CULTURE NEWS