NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt made it to the set in time for Tuesday’s newscast–but it was close.
“This just gave me a panic attack,” joked MSNBC host Chris Hayes, who–like many of Holt’s 327,000 Twitter followers–tracked his last-minute dash by plane, car and subway.
Dubbed the “Race to 30 Rock” on Twitter, Holt’s saga began in Boston around 4:30 p.m. ET. “Just over 2 hours til @NBCNightlyNews and I’m still stuck on ground in Boston. Mission impossible? #WeatherDelays #RaceTo30Rock,” he tweeted, along with a photo taken through a rainy aircraft window.
Engines starting. Plane taxiing. Cell phones on plane mode as requested. Flight time 50 minutes. La Guardia here we come. Wish me luck.
— Lester Holt (@LesterHoltNBC) November 15, 2016
From the plane to the car and now the subway. This is going to be close. pic.twitter.com/X3g6QnyqnC
— Lester Holt (@LesterHoltNBC) November 15, 2016
Less than ten minutes before airtime, Holt sent his final message: “Now THAT was an adventure. See you shortly for @NBCNightlyNews.” Missouri journalism professor Amy Simons was one of many–including NBC News correspondent Katy Tur–who expressed their relief that Holt arrived in time. “Looks like he made it! @LesterHoltNBC, I can only imagine your producer’s blood pressure right now.”