American television just hit a major milestone. At 45, Tom Llamas has become the first Latino to anchor NBC’s primetime Nightly News — a historic moment, considering the broadcast has been on the air for 70 years without a Hispanic American at the helm.
Llamas made his debut on June 2 with a hard-hitting segment titled “The Cost of Denial,” diving into the real-life struggles many Americans face with health and housing insurance. Before stepping into this high-profile role, he was already well known to NBC viewers, thanks to his sharp reporting, much of it from Latin America, where his fluent Spanish allowed him to connect deeply with the stories.
His journalism journey began humbly with an internship at Telemundo, where he assisted reporters with behind-the-scenes logistics. From there, he climbed the ranks, working at NBC affiliates WTVJ and WNBC before landing at ABC World News Tonight. In 2021, Llamas returned to NBC as anchor of Top Story with Tom Llamas, where his presence and style stood out.
Now, as the new face of NBC Nightly News, he’s not just reading headlines — he’s breaking barriers.
While fellow Cuban-American journalist José Díaz-Balart continues to anchor the weekend edition, Llamas is currently the only Latino leading a national primetime news broadcast in the U.S.
It’s more than just a career move — it’s a proud moment for representation and for an entire community finally seeing one of their own in the spotlight.
