Tom Llamas Set to Replace Lester Holt on NBC Nightly News Amid Behind-the-Scenes Chaos

Insiders hope the announcement that Tom Llamas is taking over for Lester Holt as the anchor of the NBC Nightly News after the beloved newsman’s shocking decision to step down will put an end to the “shark tank” atmosphere that has been roiling 30 Rock.

There was no successor in place when Holt, 65, who spent a decade behind the anchor’s desk, announced his resignation.

“That was an unforced error,” says a tipster. “They should have had Lester’s successor locked down at the time he announced. So instead of everyone firmly united behind a new anchor, you had uncertainty and backstabbing and rumor and chaos.”

Llamas, 45, who was named a little over a week after Holt’s exit on Feb. 24, called it “a profound honor” to take over for the veteran anchor, who will continue to host Dateline.

Network spies had identified Llamas, whom NBC poached from ABC in 2021, as the frontrunner among the candidates, who also included NBC’s senior White House correspondent Hallie Jackson and Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker.

“NBC wanted a powerhouse to go head-to-head with David Muir — and Tom might be the perfect pick,” says a mole.

NBC Nightly News is lagging behind the Muir-led ABC World News Tonight by a whopping 1.6 million viewers per night — a seemingly insurmountable margin!

“He’s worked alongside Muir before, knows his weaknesses, and could be NBC’s best shot at taking back the ratings crown,” the source spills.

Llamas also has the gravitas, deep voice and full head of hair a network looks for in an anchor, plus he’s also been close to NBC News Group chief Cesar Conde for many years.

But insiders say staffers are furious that a guy who’s been labeled an “egotistical hothead” got the job over NBC vets Jackson and Welker.

In one notorious episode, Llamas complained during a live shot that his monitor was too small. He reportedly told the producer, unironically, “Big-time talent, big-time monitor, man.”

While many of her NBC colleagues were hoping Welker would get the job, her candidacy hit a major roadblock in the form of the Today show’s powerful anchor Savannah Guthrie.

“Savannah isn’t exactly Kristen’s biggest fan — and nobody wants to upset Savannah,” dishes the snitch.

“So if hiring Kristen meant ruffling the queen bee’s feathers, then it was definitely a dealbreaker.”