NBCEven though Lester Holt has been anchoring NBC's Nightly News for four months, it still came as an exciting surprise to him that he would be permanently taking over the position. Holt, who has previously anchored Dateline and weekend Today, stopped by the Today show Monday morning to express his gratitude.
"Last night I found myself laying clothes out like it was the first day of school,'' Holt joked. "It was a strong broadcast when I started filling in for it, and I think we'll continue to build off our success. It's a great group of people who have kept their heads down during tough times and continue to crank out a good broadcast, so I'm just happy to be the new steward of it."
But he soon realized he wasn't alone while appearing alongside the morning hosts. The NBC talent's family surprised him on-air to wish him the best of luck and congratulate him! His new position, however, will force him to get used to some schedule changes—he'll get his weekends back, which he hasn't been able to enjoy in 12 years.
"It's been very odd because my wife and I kind of really embrace Monday and Tuesdays," he said.
"It will be really nice to be able to sleep in on a Saturday and Sunday," said his wife, Carol.
His son, Cameron, also joined the news anchor and his mom in studio Monday, while his other son, Stefan, joined via satellite. He is the morning news anchor at NBC's Chicago affiliate.
"It's funny looking at Stefan because if you asked me a few months ago which Holt would some day be a network news anchor of the nightly show, I would've thought Stefan," Lester said.
Holt filled in for Brian Williams after he was suspended for making inaccurate statements on air about a variety of events. The former Nightly News anchor apologized for saying "things that were not true" during an interview with Matt Lauer. Williams will instead cover breaking news for MSNBC.
"I'm a grateful person," Williams told Lauer. "I am fully aware of the second chance I have been given. I don't intend to squander it. I have strong feelings for the folks who tuned in all these years."
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)