Tom Llamas feels the love from Miami as he makes big NBC debut: ‘Means a lot to me’
You know what they say. You can take the guy out of Miami ...
While Tom Llamas was prepping for his prime-time debut taking over “NBC Nightly News” on Monday, some folks from his hometown were ready to cheer him on from afar.
Hours before the 6:30 p.m. newscast, a sign outside Duffy’s Tavern beckoned, “Tom Llamas, live tonight, NBC-6.”
The iconic establishment near Coral Gables is right around where the 45 year old journalist grew up and attended Belen Jesuit Prepatory School. His parents still are customers, said owner Wayne Russell.
“Hometown boy done good,” said Russell, who added that once he put up the sign, “everything went bananas.”
Bananas meaning: Llamas shared a picture of the billboard his parents sent him on his Instagram and Al Roker mentioned it during his chat with his NBC colleague on the “Today” show.
“There’s one local bar down in Miami,” Roker asked. “They’re holding a watch party?!”
“This is funny .... We had nothing to do with this,” Llamas answered, adding he would be live at 30 Rock and the event was being held for his family who was unable to travel up north. “I didn’t know you can watch a newscast at a bar but they’re gonna try and that means a lot to me.”
“Every time you say a certain word, you take a shot!” Roker joked to laughs.
“I’m excited for that,” said Llamas. “Just seeing this in my hometown is great.”
Russell said about 70 people turned out for the watch party, including lots of “Belen people.”
“NBC Nightly News” also shared a snippet of the party showing the crowd watching Llamas’ intro, which is drowned out by cheers and clapping.
“Everyone had their hands in the air when Tom came on,” he said. “It was like a football game. He definitely has a lot of fans.”
Last March, NBC announced that Llamas, who started out as an intern at Telemundo 51 at age 15, would be taking over for Lester Holt.
“It’s an honor,” he told the Miami Herald last month. “There’s a lot of pressure, but I do think pressure is a privilege.”
This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 1:47 PM.
