LESTER HOLT

Co-Host

Lester Holt is the co-anchor of NBC's "Today," Weekend Edition, the nation's top rated weekend news program. Holt also hosts "Lester Holt Live," a daily news show on MSNBC in which he covers breaking news and provides news updates and analysis.

Prior to joining "Weekend Today," Holt was the lead anchor for daytime news and breaking news coverage on MSNBC. Holt also served as a primary anchor for MSNBC's coverage of the biggest news events of the last several years, including Operation Iraqi Freedom, the war in Afghanistan and he was the lead daytime anchor for MSNBC's coverage of Decision 2000. Holt also served as anchor of "Countdown: Iraq," a nightly news telecast concentrating on the latest developments surrounding the war with Iraq, from October 2002 through March 2003.

The award-winning broadcast journalist came to MSNBC from WBBM-TV in Chicago, where he spent 13 years. His duties at WBBM-TV included anchoring the evening news. Holt not only worked at the anchor desk in Chicago, but he also reported extensively from trouble spots around the world including Iraq, Northern Ireland, Somalia, El Salvador and Haiti. He has also 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."

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