Tom Llamas took over as anchor of “NBC Nightly News” last month. He is the first Latino to anchor a major American weekday nightly news broadcast. Llamas was born and raised in Miami to Cuban parents.
He attended Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Florida. “Belen helped me grow in my faith,” Llamas said. “I got to learn about different religions, but I also really deepened my Catholic faith there.”
Llamas participated in debate and drama programs at Belen.
This helped him develop public speaking and communication skills. “When we went to state competitions for either forensics or speech and debate, Tommy was always a winner,” recalled Leo Williams, Llamas’ English teacher. After high school, Llamas earned degrees in broadcast journalism and drama from Loyola University New Orleans.
He has been in broadcast journalism for 25 years, starting as an NBC News production assistant. Llamas was an anchor at WNBC-TV in New York before joining ABC News in 2014. He became weekend anchor for “ABC World News Tonight” in 2015.
In 2021, he rejoined NBC as a senior national correspondent and streaming anchor. In March 2023, NBC named Llamas to replace Lester Holt as anchor of “NBC Nightly News.” Llamas credits Holt and other mentors for his rise to the top anchor position.
Llamas’ journey to NBC anchor
Since taking over on June 2, Llamas has gained traction in the ratings. “NBC Nightly News” averaged over 5.6 million viewers in June, beating “CBS Evening News.” It closed the gap with top-rated “ABC World News Tonight.”
Llamas has taken the New York-based newscast on the road twice so far. He anchored from the Texas flood zone and plans to broadcast from Chicago this Thursday.
While in Chicago, Llamas hopes to cover the story of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope who grew up in suburban Dolton, Illinois. Llamas reported from the Vatican following the death of Pope Francis in April. Llamas offered advice for aspiring journalists.
“Read newspapers, follow digital news platforms, watch the evening broadcast,” he said. “Most importantly, stay curious. Curiosity drives you to dig deeper, to seek out answers, and to become an active learner.”
He emphasized the importance of credibility and trust.
“It’s all about continuing to build trust. I want viewers to know they can count on us — that I’m working for them and that our whole team is working for them.”
Llamas lives in the New York suburbs with his wife and three kids. He professes an “obsession” with Chicago cuisine and plans to grab some local favorites during his visit, whether on the air or behind the scenes.
“I don’t know if we’ll be doing a story, but I know I’m going to be eating,” Llamas said. “So I’m going to be grabbing some beef sandwiches and some deep dish.”
