Getty Journalist Lester Holt and his wife Carol Hagen-Holt.
The largest field of candidates in history will kick-off the first big test of the 2020 Democratic primary Wednesday night, as NBC and Telemundo will host the first debate on June 26. The second debate will be on June 27.
Each debate will feature a crop of candidates. 10 on the first night and ten on the second night. Since there is such a robust number of candidates on each night, it is more likely viewers will hear more from moderators than any one of the candidates.
One of the lead moderators is NBC mainstay, Lester Holt. Holt has been apart of NBC News programming since 2000, as he has hosted shows such as NBC Nightly News, Weekend Today, and Dateline. Prior to NBC, Holt worked at CBS.
Holt has a wife and two sons. Here’s what you need to know about Holt’s family:
1. Holt Met His Wife, Carol, in 1980
Lester Holt met his wife, Carol Hagen in 1980 while she was working as a flight attendant, according to People. Holt was a student at California State University in Sacramento and worked as a disc jockey at a local radio station.
“He was the fastest mike in the west,” Carol said of her husband.
After they married in 1982, Holt and his wife moved to New York City where Lester landed a job at a local TV station after he graduated, per People. “The station offered me a lesser position with less money. I figured it would be a good time to look for something else,” Holt said of his move to the east coast.
2. Lester & Carol Have Two Sons, Stefan & Cameron
Stefan Holt, who is also a news anchor like his father, was born in 1987 and is the eldest of the two sons Lester and Carol have.
Cameron is an Equity Options Trader for Morgan Stanley, according to his LinkedIn page. He currently resides in New York City.
He went to and graduated from Stanford University and even interned at CNBC while he was a student. He has two rescue dogs.
3. Stefan Holt’s First News Anchoring Job Was in West Palm Beach, Florida
Stefan Holt followed his father’s footsteps and entered the news anchoring game shortly after graduating from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.
His first job was with WPBF-TV in West Palm Beach, Florida, as he was the morning news anchor, per Timeout Chicago. He then landed a gig at NBC 5 News Today in Chicago.
Shortly after his stint in Chicago, Holt joined his father in New York as the 4pm newscast anchor on WNBC-TV in 2016.
Stefan is married and has one child.
4. Lester & Carol Became Grandparents in 2017
In 2017, Carol and Lester Holt became grandparents as their oldest son, Stefan and his wife, Morgan, welcomed their newborn son, Henry.
In an Instagram photo, Stefan welcomed the baby boy to the world writing, “Say hello to the newest member of our family. Henry Holt, born last night in NYC. Baby and Mom are doing great!”
NBC Nightly News even congratulated Lester. In a post on Instagram, the news program’s account congratulated its anchor.
“@LesterHoltNBC is a grandpa! @stefholt4ny and wife Morgan welcomed baby Henry Holt in New York City last night. #GrandpaHolt,” the post read.
5. Lester Holt’s Family Descends from Jamaica
According to TODAY, Lester Holt’s maternal grandparents were from Jamaica. Holt’s grandfather on his mother side was one of 14 children, per NBC News.
His grandfather was Indo-Jamaican, as his great-grandfather was from Calcutta, India and great grandmother was a white woman from England.
Holt and his mother took a trip to Jamaica together recently for Mother’s Day to explore their heritage.