Lester Holt has reported from many of the world's hot spots, including Iraq, Northern Ireland, Somalia, El Salvador and Haiti. He has contributed to the CBS News broadcast 48 Hours,earning a 1990 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism award for his work on 48 Hours: No Place Like Home. He's also worked as a reporter at WCBS-TV in New York City from 1981-82. In 1982 he transferred to sister station KCBS-TV in Los Angeles as a reporter and weekend anchor and returned to WCBS-TV a year later as a reporter and weekend anchor. Holt then spent 14 years at WBBM-TV Chicago anchoring the evening news.

In 2005, Holt was on the ground for Hurricane Katrina covering events both in Louisiana and Mississippi, and later that Fall he covered Hurricane Rita in Texas. Then in 2006, Holt reported from the front lines in Lebanon on the war between Israel and Hezbollah. From London, he reported on the terrorist threats made to U.S. bound-airliners from the UK.

Holt is currently the weekend anchor for the flagship broadcast NBC Nightly News, and is also the co-anchor of the weekend edition of TODAY. Holt also serves as fill-in anchor and correspondent for NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and the weekday TODAY program. And he contributes to MSNBC, NBC's 24-hour cable news network.

Holt majored in government at California State University in Sacramento. He resides in New York City with his wife and family.