NBC's golden boy set to take over Nightly News; Llamas gets the chair he wanted all along

Tom Llamas is taking over NBC Nightly News in either the smoothest transition in modern network history or the most calculated newsroom power play in years.

Llamas, 45, has been circling this seat for a while. Since joining NBC in 2021 after a seven-year stint at ABC, where he helmed World News Tonight on weekends, he has been a flexible player at the network. His streaming show, Top Story with Tom Llamas, was more than just a news program—it was a proving ground, and he cleared the bar. Now, he’s set to become only the fourth person in 42 years to lead Nightly News, following in the footsteps of Tom Brokaw, Brian Williams, and, of course, Lester Holt.

The behind-the-scenes jockeying at NBC included Hallie Jackson and Kate Snow, but more as understudies for the catastrophic. The network surely felt good ratings held as Craig Melvin took over for Hoda Kotb earlier this year

Llamas is no stranger to headlines, and not always in the way NBC execs might prefer. Back in 2016, Donald Trump called him a “sleaze” at a press conference after Llamas pressed him on his (lack of) donations to veterans’ charities. That moment cemented Llamas as a fearless journalist—or a dogged opportunist, depending on your perspective. Either way, he’s played the long game well, amassing Emmys, Murrows, and, now, the most coveted chair in television news.

Meanwhile, CBS is still reeling from Norah O’Donnell’s departure from Evening News, with executives scrambling to stabilize ratings and find a permanent replacement. Meanwhile, ABC News faces deep uncertainty after layoffs, the dismantling of FiveThirtyEight, and a leadership void

With Holt officially stepping aside this summer, all eyes are on Llamas. Will he steady the ship, or does NBC Nightly News need a full reinvention? Either way, the era of Llamas has begun.