Newly appointed “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt appeared on Thursday’s broadcast of “Jose Diaz-Balart LIVE” to discuss the Charleston shooting, and it didn’t take long for the conversation to blossom into a full on bro-mance.
The party started when Diaz-Balart noted that often times with “these big stories, an even BIGGER storyline emerges.” That story line — at least in the MSNBC host’s eyes — being the super awesome job the Peacock is doing with its coverage.
JOSE: It’s your first week, officially, in the “Nightly News” chair. Huge story in Charleston. Talk to me what it’s like been like, for YOU to cover the story.
LESTER: Well there’s been a lot made about me being the first solo, African-American anchor of the “Nightly News” program and the responsibility on that. Certainly, you come to stories like this with sensitivity since it hits very close to home in your own life and for those around you. It’s a story that a lot of people are trying to figure out, you know, historically what it means in this country, how far we’ve come. I particularly take heart, though, in the fact that outrage has seemed so universal. That speaks to the growth we’ve seen in this country over the years, but at the same time this horrible act reminds us that there’s still an awful amount of hatred still out there.
JOSE: Lester, I’ve got to tell you, just on a personal note. I’m just so happy to see you where you are. You represent so much to so many of us, and you do so with such class, distinction, intelligence, profound … um … just, ethics. How do you see “Nightly News” in the future? What is it that you think, when you think “Nightly News” in the future?
LESTER: Well, first of all, thank you very much. I never saw myself in this role —
JOSE: But you are man!
LESTER: I know! At this point in my career, I keep looking in the mirror, and I’m like, “what just happened here?” But I’m proud. There’s only three of these jobs, first of all, and to be holding one of them is amazing. The way I look at it, the “Nightly News” has this huge legacy, it’s the news cast of record, but I’m mindful that this is also 201. We consume information differently, we want it quicker. My only goal right now is to make sure the broadcast is relevant everyday and that we keep up with where this country is and how people consume information. Fortunately, I inherited a broadcast that was in incredible shape, at the top of its game.
WATCH:
Get a room, you two.