Tom Llamas is ready for a new era of NBC's Nightly News.
Come Monday, June 2, the news anchor will be officially signing on to the network's flagship news program, right after current anchor Lester Holt officially signs off on Friday, May 30.
Ahead of his debut, NBC is already re-introducing the former ABC anchor to viewers, starting off with a marketing campaign that reminds them of both Nightly News' history, and of Tom's familiarity.
The promo video begins with clips of previous anchors, including Lester's predecessor Brian Williams (he was demoted in 2015 after coming under fire over false claims he made about a reporting trip to Iraq) before declaring: "Legacy isn't handed down, it's carried forward. As the world changes, we look for what endures, we look for a constant."
It then cuts to clips of both Lester and Tom's reporting for NBC, as well as Tom previously filling in for Lester, and maintains: "From one era to the next, trust is the anchor."
Tom is only the fifth lead anchor in the last almost 60 years of Nightly News' history. It began in 1970 with rotating hosts David Brinkley, John Chancellor, and Frank McGee, before John took over as the sole anchor within the year.
© GettyTom Brokaw anchored from 1984 to 2004, and Brian from then until 2015. Though Lester is stepping down, he is remaining with the network, expanding on his hosting duties at Dateline, of which he has been principal anchor since September 2011.
Tom was announced as Lester's replacement in March. In a memo sharing the news, NBC News Executive Vice President of Programming Janelle Rodriguez said: "Tom has the winning combination of journalistic excellence, passionate storytelling and unyielding integrity — all characteristics that have long been trademarks of NBC Nightly News."
© GettyIn his own statement, Tom also shared: "Anchoring NBC Nightly News is a profound honor and one that carries tremendous responsibility. I look forward to working with the world class journalists at Nightly News and Top Story to bring viewers the most important stories every night."
© NBCPraising his predecessor, he added: "Lester Holt is a great man and one of the most trusted broadcasters of our time. Just like Lester, I promise to be devoted to our viewers and dedicated to the truth."
© Getty ImagesTom joined NBC News in 2021 as a senior national correspondent and streaming anchor, after spending seven years at ABC News, though he worked at NBC earlier in his career, starting out as a production assistant.
Outside of his life as an anchor, since 2006, he has been married to Jennifer Llamas, a media producer, and they share three kids, daughters Malena, born in 2013, and Juliette, born in 2015, and son Thomas, born in 2017.
