Two of NBC News’ top stars are locked in an ugly battle to succeed Lester Holt as the host of Nightly News, DailyMail.com has learned.
Tom Llamas has long been touted as a replacement for Holt – who announced his departure Monday – but DailyMail.com can reveal Senior Washington Correspondent Hallie Jackson also wants the gig.
The two correspondents are now said to be locked in a war of nerves to convince bosses they’re the perfect fit for the job.
But a former senior staffer familiar with the matter said neither inspires much confidence, as Jackson, 40, continues to anchor the Sunday edition of Nightly News on a once-a-week basis.
‘Hallie Jackson and Tom Llamas – who came from ABC [News] just for Holt’s job – are fighting to replace him,’ the high-level industry insider said.
‘Hallie thinks it’s her job and is telling her bosses she wants it. She and Tom are now duking it out behind the scenes.’
Unfortunately for Llamas, 45, and Jackson, DailyMail.com’s source doesn’t rate either of the pair, saying simply: ‘[NBC News brass] doesn’t have faith in Llamas or Jackson replacing Holt. It won’t work.’
‘Long-timers in the newsroom think neither and have the name recognition for the job,’ they went on. ‘There’s already real anxiety in the newsroom after the loss of both Hoda [Kotb], and now Lester.’
Two of NBC News’ top stars are locked in an ugly battle to succeed Lester Holt as the host of Nightly News, DailyMail.com has learned
Tom Llamas – a former ABC News anchor brought on to the Nightly News team in 2021 has long been touted as a replacement for Holt, who announced his departure Monday
‘Lester’s an icon – and some night’s he’s still down to [ABC’s] David Muir by more than 1million viewers,’ they continued. ‘He has that recognition, and was already down 1.6million to Muir on some nights.’
A second source familiar with the matter further added how Llamas, currently NBC News’ senior national correspondent, ‘was promised [Holt’s] job’ after being poached from World News Tonight in 2021.
‘He was promised it when he went over. He sees it as his.’
Back in November, insiders told The Ankler how higher-ups would be happy to install Llamas as a replacement in the event Holt left due to the latter’s comparatively modest salary.
Reportedly around $2.5million, it pales in comparison to the $10million Holt is said to be commanding, according to reporting from the New York Post.
And while Holt has seemingly signed a contract to stay with the network, it will be without his usual post Nightly News, which the first source said Llamas believes he has the experience for thanks to his time as a weekend host on World News Tonight.
Holt himself secured the job thanks to experience garnered with a similar role under Brian Williams, the source pointed out – mentioning another figure once seminal to TV news.
DailyMail.com can reveal Senior Washington Correspondent Hallie Jackson – currently the anchor of the Sunday edition of Nightly News – also wants the job
The two correspondents are now said to be locked in a war of nerves to convince bosses they’re the perfect fit for the job, with both viewing themselves as the heir apparent, a high-level source said
Following the loss of Today fixture Hoda Kotb as well, the insider said that ‘NBC is imploding’
A decade later, it appears a changing of the guard is again in the cards, at a time where TV news is in the midst of an industry-wide decline – and as networks like CBS, MSNBC, and CNN implement change to address shifting consumer habits.
Nielsen numbers released last week showed how third-place CBS News has so far failed to replace longtime Evenings host Norah O’Donnell, as a replacement for Holt has yet to be named.
One insider disputed the idea of infighting over the sought-after position at the flagship network.
‘It’s laughable that anyone would be “duking it out” for a position no one knew was open until this morning,’ the network source told DailyMail.com.
‘Everyone is focused on celebrating Lester, and any rumors of infighting are just that – rumors.
‘This is complete BS – they are both very talented and highly regarded.’
NBCUniversal did not return a request for comment.
Hallie Jackson, seen on Election Night 2016, is looking to replace Holt in the anchor’s chair
Just three weeks into the experiment – already being branded a failure by other insiders – ratings for the show once manned by anchors like Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, and Katie Couric were decidedly down.
The same could be in store for NBC News, the first source warned – as it remains well behind evening news frontrunner ABC World News Tonight by more than 1million views.
That’s a statistic fueled in large part by Holt, they said – as statistics further show the program is only down a mere percent in viewership year-over-year.
‘NBC is imploding’, they said of the situation, as the two Nightly News fill-ins continue their fight for the yet-to-be-filled spot.
Holt, 65, confirmed in a statement that he will continue to host Dateline in coming months.