Tom Llamas

Thomas Edward Llamas (/ˈjɑːmɑːs/ YAH-mahss; born July 2, 1979) is an American journalist who was the weekend anchor for World News Tonight on the American Broadcasting Company from 2014 to 2021.[1] He has won multiple Emmy Awards for his reporting, as well as two Edward R. Murrow awards.[2] Llamas left ABC News for rival NBC News. His last ABC broadcast was on 31 January 2021.[3]

Tom Llamas
Born
Thomas Edward Llamas

(1979-07-02) July 2, 1979
Miami, Florida, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materLoyola University (B.A.)
OccupationTelevision news anchor and Television journalist
Years active2000–present
EmployerThe Walt Disney Company
AgentUnited Talent Agency
Notable credit(s)
ABC World News Tonight (Weekend anchor)
NBC News (correspondent)
TelevisionABC World News Tonight
(2015–2021)
Spouse(s)Jennifer Llamas
Children3

Early life

Llamas was born in Miami, Florida, on July 2, 1979, to Cuban immigrants who had fled the island as political refugees.[4] He attended The Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami. He is a graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and was a member of the LA Gamma chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon. He received bachelor's degrees in Broadcast Journalism and Drama and Speech which he completed in May 2001.[5]

Career

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.

In September 2014, he moved to ABC News as a New York-based correspondent[1] 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"[6] and was called a "sleaze" by Trump after questioning him about the amount of money he had donated to charity.[7]

In January 2021, it was reported that Llamas would leave ABC News and return to NBC News. His last broadcast on ABC News was Sunday, January 31, 2021.[8] Tom Llamas is currently on NBC News.

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.[1][9]

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.[10] He won an Emmy Award in 2013 for his coverage of Hurricane Irene.

References
  1. Ariens, Chris (3 September 2014). "Tom Llamas Leaves WNBC for ABC News". TVNewser. Media Bistro. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  2. LOYOLA PRESS (April 10, 2012). "Loyola alumni, NBC anchor and producer kicks-off centennial, speaks to journalism students".
  3. 282128998.1611740651 "ABC anchor Tom Llamas jumps ship to rival NBC" Check |url= value (help). New York Post. 26 January 2021.
  4. Zizmor, Jordana (6 June 2012). "An Interview with Tom Llamas". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  5. ABC News (2 March 2015). "Tom Llamas' ABC News Biography". ABC News. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  6. Erik Wemple (May 31, 2016). "How to get Donald Trump to call you a 'sleaze' on national television". washingtonpost.com.
  7. Tal Kopan (August 21, 2015). "Trump blasts ABC News, demands apology". cnn.com.
  8. Steinberg, Brian (January 26, 2021). "ABC News Anchor Tom Llamas Will Jump to NBC News". Variety. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  9. "2013 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award Winners". Radio Television Digital News Association. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  10. http://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/about-us/Tom-Llamas.html Archived May 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
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