Lester Holt Net Worth: America's Trusted News Anchor

Lester Holt, the longtime anchor of NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC, has accumulated a net worth estimated at $35 million through more than four decades in broadcast journalism. His financial standing reflects consistent earnings from network television, strategic real estate transactions, and his position as managing editor of one of America’s most-watched evening news programs.

Career Foundation and Early Broadcasting

Lester Don Holt Jr. began his broadcasting career in 1979 as a radio reporter in San Francisco while attending California State University, Sacramento, where he studied government. He left college before graduating to pursue journalism full-time.

In 1981, Holt joined WCBS-TV in New York City as a reporter, marking his entry into television news. He transferred to KCBS-TV (then KNXT) in Los Angeles in 1982 as a reporter and weekend anchor, covering major events including the 1984 Olympics and the 1986 Challenger disaster.

Holt returned to WCBS-TV in 1984 before moving to WBBM-TV in Chicago in 1986, where he spent 14 years as evening news anchor. During this period, he reported from conflict zones including Iraq, Northern Ireland, Somalia, El Salvador, and Haiti. His work on the CBS program “48 Hours: No Place Like Home” earned him the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award in 1990.

NBC News Career Trajectory

Holt joined MSNBC in 2000, initially anchoring “Newsfront” and “Lester Holt Live.” He served as lead daytime anchor for MSNBC’s Decision 2000 presidential election coverage and anchored “Countdown: Iraq” from October 2002 through March 2003.

In 2003, Holt became co-anchor of Weekend Today, a position he held for 12 years. He became anchor of the weekend edition of NBC Nightly News in May 2007, building an eight-year track record before his weekday promotion.

On June 18, 2015, Holt became permanent anchor and managing editor of the weekday edition of NBC Nightly News, replacing Brian Williams following Williams’ suspension over fabricated reporting claims. Holt became the first African American to solo anchor a major network weekday evening newscast, following in the footsteps of Max Robinson, who co-anchored ABC’s evening news in the 1970s.

Dateline NBC and Investigative Reporting

Holt has served as principal anchor of Dateline NBC since September 2011. In February 2025, he announced his departure from NBC Nightly News to assume a full-time role at Dateline, effective May 30, 2025. Tom Llamas succeeded him as Nightly News anchor.

His investigative work on Dateline includes the Emmy-nominated “Justice for All” series in 2019, which included three days embedded inside Louisiana State Penitentiary and the first televised town hall from a maximum-security prison at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. Holt conducted exclusive interviews with rapper Meek Mill after his prison release, Matthew Charles (the first person released under the First Step Act), and Cyntoia Brown Long following her commutation.

Presidential Debate Moderation

Holt moderated the first 2016 presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on September 26, 2016, which drew over 84 million viewers, making it the most-watched presidential debate in American history. He fact-checked candidates on statements about Iraq War support and stop-and-frisk constitutionality.

He also moderated Democratic primary debates in January 2016 and the third Republican primary debate in November 2023 alongside Hugh Hewitt and Kristen Welker.

Exclusive Presidential Interviews

Holt’s May 2017 interview with President Trump became one of the most consequential interviews of Trump’s first term when Trump acknowledged that his firing of FBI Director James Comey was connected to the Russia investigation.

He conducted President Joe Biden’s final interview before Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race. Holt also interviewed the U.S. Capitol Police officer who shot a protester during the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, and traveled with President Barack Obama on Obama’s final Air Force One trip in January 2017.

Salary and Annual Compensation

Holt earns approximately $10 million annually from NBC News for his work across NBC Nightly News, Dateline NBC, and special coverage. This compensation places him among the highest-paid network news anchors in the United States.

His NBC contract encompasses anchor duties, managing editor responsibilities, special reports, and primetime political coverage including presidential elections and breaking news events.

Real Estate Holdings

Holt’s most significant real estate transaction occurred in August 2017 when he sold his Manhattan condominium in the Grand Madison building for $6.4 million. He purchased the property in 2007 for $3.22 million, realizing a profit of approximately $3.18 million.

The Grand Madison residence featured three bedrooms, two bathrooms, 11-foot ceilings, and a 48-foot terrace overlooking Madison Square Park in the Flatiron neighborhood. The building, constructed in 1906, is known for its Beaux-Arts architecture. Holt’s wife, Carol Hagen, a real estate agent, handled the sale.

The couple continues to reside in Manhattan, maintaining proximity to NBC’s Rockefeller Plaza headquarters.

Net Worth Growth Analysis

Holt’s net worth progression demonstrates steady financial growth throughout his broadcasting career:

1995: $1 million
2010: $8 million (weekend NBC Nightly News anchor)
2015: $12 million (promoted to weekday anchor)
2017: $22 million (post-debate moderation)
2020: $30 million
2024: $35 million

Different sources report varying estimates between $35 million and $48 million for 2024, with most established financial tracking sources citing $35 million.

Industry Recognition

Holt received the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism in March 2021. He won the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism in 2019 and received Quinnipiac University’s Fred Friendly First Amendment Award in 2017.

He has earned multiple Emmy Awards throughout his career. In 2016, TIME named him one of the “100 Most Influential People,” and the National Association of Black Journalists named him “Journalist of the Year.”

According to a 2018 poll by The Hollywood Reporter and Morning Consult, Holt ranked as the most trusted television news anchor in America, a distinction he maintained in subsequent polling.

On-the-Ground Reporting

Holt’s reporting philosophy emphasizes first-person accounts from disaster and conflict zones. He reported from Israel as the only broadcast news anchor on the ground during the first two weeks following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. He traveled to Ukraine following Russia’s 2022 invasion and received rare access in Tehran, Iran, in 2019, interviewing top diplomats and President Ebrahim Raisi.

His disaster coverage includes Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2011 Japan earthquake and nuclear crisis, and the 2011 Egyptian revolution during the Arab Spring. He has covered multiple California wildfires and embedded with U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2012.

Holt has covered every Olympics since the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, anchoring NBC News coverage from host cities, including PyeongChang in 2018.

Personal Background

Holt was born on March 8, 1959, on Hamilton Air Force Base in Marin County, California. His father, Lester Don Holt Sr., was African American. His mother, June DeRozario, was of Jamaican descent. His maternal grandfather, Canute DeRozario, was Anglo-Indian from Spanish Town, Jamaica, descended from a Eurasian father from Calcutta, India, and an English-Jamaican mother.

Holt graduated from Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova, California in 1977. He registered as a Republican early in his career but changed his party affiliation to independent in 2018.

Family Life

Holt married Carol Hagen in 1982. They met in Los Angeles when Holt worked at KCBS-TV and Hagen was a flight attendant. Carol later became a real estate agent in Manhattan.

Their son Stefan Holt followed his father into broadcast journalism. Stefan graduated from Pepperdine University in 2009 and currently anchors the 5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m. newscasts at WMAQ-TV in Chicago. He previously succeeded veteran anchor Chuck Scarborough at WNBC in New York.

Their younger son, Cameron Holt, works in finance.

Holt is an accomplished bass guitarist who plays blues and rock music. He performs in the band Rough Cuts, composed primarily of video editors from Dateline NBC. He also plays upright bass and occasionally performs at charity events.

NBC Nightly News Departure

On February 24, 2025, Holt announced his decision to step down from NBC Nightly News after nearly 10 years as weekday anchor (17 years including weekend duties). His final broadcast aired May 30, 2025.

In his announcement, Holt stated: “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. It has truly been the honor of a lifetime.”

He explained his transition to full-time Dateline: “I’m excited to report I will be continuing as anchor of Dateline NBC, but for the first time in a full-time capacity, whereby I will be expanding my footprint on the broadcast and crafting Dateline hours on subjects I care deeply about.”

FAQs

How much does Lester Holt earn annually?

Holt earns approximately $10 million per year from NBC News for his work on NBC Nightly News, Dateline NBC, and special coverage.

When did Lester Holt become the NBC Nightly News anchor?

Holt became the permanent anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News on June 18, 2015, replacing Brian Williams.

Is Lester Holt still with NBC News?

Yes, Holt left NBC Nightly News on May 30, 2025, but continues full-time as anchor of Dateline NBC.

What is Lester Holt’s most famous real estate transaction?

Holt sold his Manhattan Grand Madison condominium for $6.4 million in 2017, having purchased it for $3.22 million in 2007.

Is Stefan Holt related to Lester Holt?

Yes, Stefan Holt is Lester Holt’s son and works as a news anchor at WMAQ-TV in Chicago.

What presidential debates has Lester Holt moderated?

Holt moderated the first 2016 presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the Democratic primary debates in 2016, and the third Republican primary debate in 2023.