Tom Llamas
{{short description|American journalist}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Tom Llamas
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Thomas Edward Llamas
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|7|2}}
| birth_place = Miami, Florida, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater = Loyola University New Orleans (B.A.)
| occupation = Television news anchor and Television journalist
| years_active = 2000–present
| employer = NBCUniversal
| children = 3
| credits = ABC World News Tonight Sunday (anchor/weekday correspondent) (2014–2021)
NBC News (correspondent/substitute anchor)
Top Story with Tom Llamas (anchor) (2021–present)
Today (substitute news anchor) (2021–present)
| television =
| agent = UTA
| spouse = Jennifer Llamas
}}
Thomas Edward Llamas ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|j|ɑː|m|ɑː|s}} {{respell|YAH|mahss}}; born July 2, 1979) is an American journalist currently working for NBC News.
He worked for ABC News as the weekend anchor of ABC World News Tonight from 2014 until 2021, before joining NBC News as Senior National Correspondent and anchor for NBC News Now, hosting Top Story with Tom Llamas, and serving as a substitute anchor for Today and NBC Nightly News. On March 5, 2025, Llamas was named as Lester Holt's successor as anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News beginning in summer 2025.
He has won multiple Emmy Awards for his reporting, as well as two Edward R. Murrow awards.{{cite press release| url=http://www.loyno.edu/news/story/2012/4/10/2810| date=10 April 2012| title=Loyola alumni, NBC anchor and producer kicks-off centennial, speaks to journalism students| publisher=Loyola University New Orleans| access-date=8 July 2021}}
Early life
Llamas was born in Miami, Florida, on July 2, 1979, to Cuban immigrants who had fled the island as political refugees.{{cite news| last1=Zizmor| first1=Jordana|title=An Interview with Tom Llamas|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jordana-zizmor/tom-llamas-interview_b_1572161.html| journal=HuffPost| access-date=28 November 2016| date=6 June 2012}} He attended Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami. Llamas graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana, with bachelor's degrees in broadcast journalism, and drama and speech.{{cite web|date=2 March 2015|title=Tom Llamas' ABC News Biography|url=https://abcnews.go.com/News/tom-llamas-abc-news-official-biography/story?id=29327976|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906171508/https://abcnews.go.com/News/tom-llamas-abc-news-official-biography/story?id=29327976|archive-date=September 6, 2019|access-date=28 November 2016|website=ABC News}} He was also a member of the LA Gamma chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon, a social fraternity.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}
Career
{{BLP sources|section|date=October 2024}}
Llamas began his broadcasting career in 2000 with the NBC News Specials Unit and moved to MSNBC where he worked from 2000 to 2005 and covered mostly politics. After that he moved to NBC's WTVJ in Miami. Llamas moved to New York and joined WNBC and NBC News in 2009 as general-assignment reporter and anchor.
In September 2014, he moved to ABC News as a New York-based correspondent{{cite news| last1=Ariens| first1=Chris| title=Tom Llamas Leaves WNBC for ABC News| url=https://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/tom-llamas-leaves-wnbc-for-abc-news/| access-date=8 July 2021| work=Adweek| date=3 September 2014}} and substituted for David Muir on ABC World News Tonight over the Christmas 2014 period. In 2015, Llamas became the Sunday anchor of ABC World News Tonight. He became the sole weekend anchor in January 2017.
During the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, Llamas spent the year reporting on the Republican candidates. He criticized the use by Jeb Bush and Donald Trump of the term "anchor baby" and was called a "sleaze" by Trump after questioning him about the amount of money he had donated to charity.{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2016/05/31/how-to-get-donald-trump-to-call-you-a-sleaze-on-national-television/| date=May 31, 2016 |title=How to get Donald Trump to call you a 'sleaze' on national television| first=Erik| last=Wemple| newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{cite web| url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/21/politics/donald-trump-abc-news/| date=August 21, 2015| title=Trump blasts ABC News, demands apology| first=Tal| last=Kopan| author-link=Tal Kopan| website=CNN}}
In January 2021, it was reported that Llamas would leave ABC News and return to NBC News. His last broadcast on ABC News was on January 31, 2021.{{cite journal |last1=Steinberg |first1=Brian |title=ABC News Anchor Tom Llamas Will Jump to NBC News |url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/tom-llanas-nbc-news-abc-news-tv-1234892905/ |journal=Variety |access-date=27 January 2021 |date=January 26, 2021}} In April 2021, it was announced that Llamas was named senior national correspondent for NBC News and will anchor a primetime newscast for NBC News Now beginning May 3, 2021.{{cite journal| last1=Johnson| first1=Ted |title=Tom Llamas Joins NBC News As Anchor And Senior National Correspondent| url=https://deadline.com/2021/04/tom-llamas-nbc-news-senior-national-correspondent-1234744117/| journal=Deadline Hollywood| access-date=April 26, 2021| date=April 26, 2021}}{{cite news| last=Steinberg| first=Brian| date=2021-04-26| title=Tom Llamas Joins NBC News as Primetime Anchor for Live-Streaming Service| url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/tom-llamas-nbc-news-live-streaming-primetime-1234960534/| access-date=2021-04-26| journal=Variety| language=en-US}} A rebroadcast of the newscast, called Top Story with Tom Llamas, was added to the overnight schedule of most NBC stations on weeknights on March 28, 2022, replacing a replay of Today{{'}}s fourth hour.
On March 5, 2025, NBC News announced Llamas as the successor to Lester Holt as anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News. Llamas will continue to anchor Top Story.{{cite web |last1=Arkin |first1=Daniel |title=Tom Llamas will succeed Lester Holt as anchor of 'NBC Nightly News' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/media/tom-llamas-anchor-nbc-nightly-news-rcna194961 |website=NBC News |access-date=5 March 2025 |language=en |date=5 March 2025}}
Awards
Llamas has won several awards including an Emmy Award for "Best Anchor" and "Best Hard News Story" and a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for WNBC-TV's coverage of Hurricane Sandy.{{cite web|title=2013 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award Winners|url=http://www.rtdna.org/content/2013_regional_edward_r_murrow_award_winners|website=Radio Television Digital News Association|access-date=2 October 2014|archive-date=April 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421165803/http://rtdna.org/content/2013_regional_edward_r_murrow_award_winners|url-status=dead}}
His first Emmy was awarded in 2008 for his reporting as the first TV journalist to work on a human smuggling interdiction at sea with the U.S. Coast Guard.{{cite web |title=Tom Llamas |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/about-us/Tom-Llamas.html |website=NBC New York |date=14 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515220624/http://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/about-us/Tom-Llamas.html |archive-date=May 15, 2012}} He won an Emmy Award in 2013 for his coverage of Hurricane Irene.
Personal life
Llamas has three children with his wife, Jennifer.{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/26/nyregion/tom-llamas-nbc.html|title = At Home, Plenty of Good News|last = Bahr|first = Sarah|date = October 27, 2024|accessdate = October 26, 2024|newspaper = The New York Times|page = MB2|url-access = limited}} The family formerly resided in Midtown Manhattan before moving to Purchase, New York, in 2022. Llamas and his wife are Catholic.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{NBC News Personalities}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Llamas, Tom}}
Category:20th-century Roman Catholics
Category:21st-century American journalists
Category:21st-century Roman Catholics
Category:American people of Cuban descent
Category:American television news anchors
Category:American television reporters and correspondents
Category:Catholics from Florida
Category:Catholics from New York (state)