Lester Holt is widely regarded as one of the most respected journalists in the United States, and his career has spanned more than three decades. Even though he has an incredible professional life, Holt is a loving husband to his wife and a proud parent to his two children.
He made history when Lester Holt became the first black person to solo anchor a weekday network evening newscast. Since that time, Holt has become a well-known and respected figure in the world of journalism.
The 63-year-old man started his professional life more than 40 years ago. In 1979, Holt decided to follow his dream of becoming a broadcaster at a radio station in San Francisco rather than continuing his studies at California State University.
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, | Source: Getty Images
After that, the newsman from NBC started a career at CBS that lasted for 19 years, during which he had some memorable moments. Holt has covered some significant events that have taken place worldwide, including one of the presidential debates in 2016 between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
His job is undoubtedly demanding but satisfying, but the happiness he derives from his family far exceeds anything else in his life. Separate from his career, Holt has a wonderful family life with his wife of forty years, Carol Hagen. Their children are all grown up and have successful careers.
Even though her husband’s work brings “a lot of late-night phone calls,” Hagen has been a major support system for her husband since they first started dating back when Holt’s career was just starting.
Holt admitted that their love and support for one another had been a major factor in the success of their house. According to the experienced journalist, the fact that his wife understands the complexity of his job field enables him to make the adjustments essential to his profession’s advancement more easily.
Lester Holt attended the 51st NAACP Image Awards non-televised Awards Dinner on February 21, 2020, | Source: Getty Images
Lester Holt said that she understands that when the bell rings, he likes to answer it when the big story is going on and wants to be there. He then proceeded to talk about their longtime marriage and their family.
Holt Was a Student When They Met
In 1980, when neither party had glamour to their names, Holt met his wife, Hagen. At the time, Hagen worked as a flight attendant, and Holt was a student at California State University.
It is not known very much about the beginning of their relationship; however, Hagen once revealed that Holt invited her to join him to cover a forest fire in Napa Valley when they were getting to know each other. The youthful couple shared a special moment through this experience.
After being laid off in 1981 due to the recession that hit the airline industry, Hagen moved to New York City with Holt after the latter was hired as a reporter at WCBS-TV. The year 1982 marked the year of the couple’s wedding, and to this day, they remain happily married. Laughter, so says the man from NBC, has been the key to the achievement of their family life.
When asked about their relationship, Holt once said, “We really do have a good time laughing together. I am capable of being foolish, but she is even more capable. We just laugh it off and know that everything, even the difficult times, will eventually become a story. Boy, have I put her through difficult times with this work?”
Holt obtained a position as weekend anchor and reporter at KCBS-TV, formerly known as KNXT, shortly after their wedding, and the couple moved to Los Angeles not long after their wedding.
Holt once said that they laughed a lot and that he could be silly and his wife even sillier. He also mentioned that they laughed through things and knew that tough times would become a story at some point. Holt added that he had put his wife through some tough times with his job.
NBC News anchor Lester Holt and his wife Carol Hagen-Holt arrive at a Nordic State Dinner May 13, 2016, | Source: Getty Images
His career would take him in a range of paths, and he would eventually go back to WCBS before moving on to WBBM-TV in Chicago to host the afternoon and primetime news until he started working for MSNBC in the year 2000. Despite this, his wife continues to be encouraging. “I love her to death.”
As with Holt, Hagen is currently pursuing a rewarding career as a licensed real estate salesperson. Her social media accounts convey the kind of passion she has for her work.
She is also a huge fan of exciting new experiences and has been on incredible journeys with Holt. For instance, the couple visited Brazil to witness the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Meet Lester Holt’s Sons
Journalist Lester Holt and his wife, Carol Hagen-Holt, attend The 2018 Rescue Dinner hosted by IRC at New York Hilton Midtown on November 1, 2018, | Source: Getty Images
Before starting a family, Holt and Hagen decided to give it some more time. In 1987, the couple welcomed their first child, a son named Stefan, while they were living in Chicago. A few years later, they welcomed another son into the world named Cameron.
The couple’s elder son, Stefan, is very active on Instagram, posting numerous heartwarming family pictures in which he frequently comments on how beautiful his parents are. The 36-year-old man wrote a heartfelt tribute to his father in one of his tweets, referring to him as an “amazing dad” and stating that his father had imparted much knowledge to him about being a father.
The photograph was taken when Stefan was a young child, and it shows him smiling broadly while sitting joyfully on his father’s shoulders. He wrote in the post’s caption:
“So thankful to have an amazing Dad who has taught me so much, and I know is going to be an awesome grandpa (or grand-dude)!”
Now that they are parents, Holt and Hagen take great pride in watching their sons Stefan and Cameron pursue their goals and carry on the success story of their family.
Like Holt, Stefan went on to pursue a profession in journalism and is now working as a broadcaster with much success. The 36-year-old attended Pepperdine University, where she majored in both television journalism and political science.
After graduating in 2009, Stefan pursued a career as a reporter and fill-in anchor for Hearst Magazine in West Palm Beach, Florida. Because he did not spend a lot of time there, it seemed as though he was in a learning period while he was there.
After working for the company for two years, he decided to leave the organization and pursue a career as a news reporter for NBC instead. Since May 2011, he has been reporting for NBC 5 Chicago, and during that time, he has been a part of several notable events that have shaped his profession.
Like his father, Stefan is a devoted family member. He takes great pride in being a father to his three sons. The NBC newsman wed the woman who became his sweetheart in 2012, and the couple now raises their three children together: Henry, Sam, and James. September of 2021 saw the birth of the couple’s youngest child.
The adoring father enjoys posting adorable photos of his children on Instagram. The children of Stefan are big fans of their renowned grandfather, Holt, and they refer to him as “graduate” out of their affection for him.
It would appear that Holt takes great pride in the nickname, as he frequently references it in his tweets. The journalist, who had received several honors, uploaded a cute photo to Instagram, revealing that his children had paid him a visit at his job right before he went to the recording studio.
The happy grandfather wrote that he had a couple of special visitors stopping by the office right before he headed to the studio. Holt acknowledged that he might be an accomplished journalist but was also a sweet and doting grandpa to his grandchildren.
Cameron, Holt’s youngest son, appears to take pleasure in leading a low-key lifestyle. According to the information on his LinkedIn profile, he received a degree in mathematical and computational science from Stanford University in 2012.
According to reports, Cameron is currently employed as an analyst by Morgan Stanley. In the past, he had explored a career in broadcasting by serving as an intern for CNBC. However, despite his best efforts, he did not appear to be successful in that pitch.
Although details of Cameron’s private life are scarce, it is known that he has a great affinity for rescue dogs and the New York Yankees.
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