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Lester Holt – For many years, Lester Holt, who is renowned for his excellent journalism, has represented honesty and dependability on American television. On March 8, 1959, he was born in Marin County, California, at Hamilton Air Force Base. As the first African-American to headline a weekday network nightly news show on her own, Holt has established an amazing career. His dedication and perseverance are demonstrated by his move from DJ to NBC Nightly News anchor.
After ten years, Holt leaves NBC Nightly News to focus solely on Dateline NBC, marking a new chapter in his illustrious career.
Lester Holt Early Life
June DeRozario and Lester Don Holt Sr. were the parents of Lester Don Holt Jr., the youngest of four siblings. His mother, who was born in Jamaica, was of mixed Indo-Jamaican and White Jamaican ancestry, while his father was African-American. Born and raised in Sacramento, Holt attended Cordova High School, graduated in 1977, and then attended California State University, Sacramento, where he majored in government but did not complete his degree.
Holt began his career at a small radio station as a disc jockey, a position that eventually led to a career in television journalism.

Lester Holt Height and Age
At a pivotal juncture in his life and career, Lester Holt is 65 years old in 2025 and is 1.88 meters (6 feet 2 inches) tall. Despite his advanced age, Holt remains a vibrant figure in journalism, enthralling readers with his dedication to and passion for narrative.
Lester Holt Wife
In 1982, Lester Holt and Carol Hagen were married. Carol changed careers to pursue a prosperous real estate business after being let go from her position as a flight attendant at United Airlines in 1981. She is a successful real estate agent and is well-known for her secrecy and expertise. Stefan and Cameron Holt, the couple’s two kids, were motivated by their father to pursue careers in journalism.
Lester Holt Net Worth
The majority of Lester Holt’s estimated $35 million comes from his successful career in broadcast journalism. According to reports, NBC pays him $10 million a year. Holt’s financial achievements are a reflection of his lengthy career in the media sector, which included roles in a number of films and television shows as well as employment at CBS and NBC.
Lester Holt Career
When Holt started working as a reporter for WCBS-TV in New York in 1981, his TV career took off. Before returning to WCBS in 1984, he eventually moved to Los Angeles in 1982 to work for KCBS-TV. In 2000, Holt made the switch to NBC News, where he became well-known as the host of Dateline NBC and NBC Nightly News.
He is well-known for his first-hand reporting and has covered a wide range of significant international events, including international summits and presidential debates. In order to focus on his work as a lead anchor on Dateline NBC, which he has been doing since 2011, Holt left his post as NBC Nightly News anchor after ten years.

Achievements
The network’s flagship show and the most watched evening newscast in America, “NBC Nightly News,” is hosted by award-winning journalist Lester Holt. After serving as the weekend anchor of “NBC Nightly News” for eight years and co-anchoring “Weekend Today” for twelve, he was appointed to the position in June 2015. Since September 2011, he has also been “Dateline NBC’s” lead anchor.
Holt covered the earthquake and nuclear catastrophe in Japan, the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks in Paris, the Egyptian turmoil in Cairo, and the earthquake-related disaster in Haiti. The 2009 Air France plane tragedy over the Atlantic, the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and hurricanes Katrina and Rita are some of the other significant topics he covered. He reported from the Iraqi border in 2003 as American forces got ready to invade.
Prior to co-anchoring “Weekend Today” in 2003, Holt served as anchor of the daily news program “Lester Holt Live.” He served as the main anchor for MSNBC’s coverage of important news events, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Holt formerly worked as an evening news anchor and reported from conflict areas such as Iraq, Northern Ireland, Somalia, El Salvador, and Haiti during his 14 years at WBBM-TV in Chicago. He won a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award in 1990 for his work on the CBS News program “48 Hours.” He was a member of the “Today” anchor crew that took home the Outstanding Morning Program Daytime Emmy Award in 2010. He was a member of the NBC News Specials team that covered the Boston Marathon bombings and received an Emmy in 2014. The 2014 News and Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast was won by the NBC Nightly News team, which included Holt.

These people improve themselves on the basis of their inner passion and hard work. For them every failure is a lesson and every challenge is an opportunity. Imagine you are a college student. It is Monday and your whole day was bad. You got low marks in your favorite class. You had to pay a parking fine. And when you tried to share your problem with your friend, So he did not pay any attention.
Now what will happen if your mindset is fixed? You will start cursing yourself. You will feel that you are the biggest fool. Your life is useless and maybe this world is also against you. You will get sad and eat junk food and blame others for everything. But was it really that bad? People with a fixed mindset consider small failures as a part of their entire personality.
Awards
• 2006Emmy-Best Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast: nominated
• 2011Emmy-Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast: nominated
• 2011Emmy-Best Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast: nominated
• 2012Emmy-Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast: nominated
• 2012Emmy-Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast: nominated
• 2012Emmy-Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast: nominated
• 2012Emmy-Best Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast: nominated
• 2012Emmy-Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a News Magazine: nominated
• 2013Emmy-Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a News Magazine: nominated
• 2016Emmy-Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a News Magazine: nominated
• 2016Emmy-Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast: nominated
• 2017Emmy-Outstanding Investigative Report in a News Magazine: nominated
• 2017Emmy-Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a News Magazine: nominated
• 2017Emmy-Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Newscast: nominated
• 2017Emmy-Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Newscast: nominated
• 2018Emmy-Outstanding Edited Interview: winner
• 2018Emmy-Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Newscast: nominated
• 2019Emmy-Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Newscast: nominated
• 2023Image Award-Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble: nominated
Lester Holt Conclusion
In American journalism, Lester Holt’s legacy is unparalleled. Holt, who began his career as a radio disc jockey before becoming well-known as an anchor for NBC Nightly News, has always demonstrated a commitment to integrity and quality. He will undoubtedly continue to have an impact on aspiring journalists as he moves on to Dateline NBC.
Holt’s story demonstrates the importance of perseverance and being true to one’s passion, particularly in the face of change.
Facts
• In 2011, I served as the keynote speaker at the annual luncheon of the Emma L. Bowen Foundation.
• In 2005, I presided over the annual fundraising dinner for the Kaitz Foundation as its master of ceremonies.
• Holt started his career at CBS in 1981 after working as a DJ for a country and Western radio station while he was a student at California State University in Sacramento.
• Beginning in 2007, the USA Network hosted the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show for three consecutive years.
• Made brief appearances in the films “Primal Fear” and “The Fugitive.”
• He talked about playing the bass guitar as one of his pastimes in Making Music Magazine.
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