ABC News journalists Linsey Davis and Whit Johnson will be anchoring the weekend show “World News Tonight,” company president James Goldston announced Monday.
Johnson will anchor the show on Saturday and Davis will be the Sunday anchor, according to the announcement. The duo will replace Tom Llamas, who hosted “World News Tonight” until his departure in 2021.
Llamas reportedly left for NBC News, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Both of the new anchors have seen air time and have “filled in on the weekend and for David [Muir] during the week,” Goldston wrote in Monday’s staff memo. He expressed excitement for the decision, praising Whit as “an award-winning and distinguished journalist” and writing that Davis ” has had an impressive rise at” the company.
“Linsey has had an impressive rise at ABC News as a result of her unflinching interview prowess, her versatility and experience,” Goldston wrote according to the Hollywood Reporter. “Last year she was named anchor of ABC News Live’s first-ever streaming evening newscast in primetime, which has surged in viewership by over 200% since launch a year ago.”
Some exciting personal news! Thrilled to embark on this new adventure with my friend @LinseyDavis https://t.co/BRZbTPheBg
— Whit Johnson (@WhitJohnson) February 1, 2021
Among other accomplishments, Davis co-hosted a Democratic presidential primary debate and worked on 2020 election coverage for the network, Mediaite reported. Johnson co-hosts “Good Morning America Weekend” and has covered breaking news on-air for the company.
“Whit is an award-winning and distinguished journalist who has done a tremendous job both in the field and at the anchor desk since joining ABC News in 2018,” Goldston continued. “As one of our lead reporters on COVID-19, he has been on the frontlines of covering the pandemic keeping our viewers up to date over the last year.”
Goldston’s announcement about Davis and Johnson comes shortly after the news that he plans to retire at the end of March. (RELATED: ‘The Truth Suffers’: New Project Veritas Video Shows Since-Suspended ABC News Correspondent Alleging Network Has Trump Bias)