Rising NBC News star Tom Llamas 'stuns co-workers with "aggressive and extremely challenging" management style'
The no-nonsense style is reportedly upsetting staffers used to a more laid-back approach from Holt, multiple people 'familiar with the' matter told Breaker.
Llamas, in contrast, is more aggressive, the insider accounts claimed.
'He has a management style that has been extremely challenging on some of the team,' one staffer said of Llamas, 46.
'He challenges people to do their best, to think more deeply about the editorial process,' a correspondent added. 'It helps us to raise our game. The expectations are high, but they should be.'
A producer further told Daily Mail: 'His energy is infectious, he raises the bar for everyone.'
The rising star's executive producer, Meghan Rafferty, called it 'super fun' working with Llamas', during a lunchtime meeting at 30 Rock Tuesday.
There, she told staffers she was leaving to join MSNBC's new parent company Versant.
Holt, 66, left the program last spring after ten years at the helm and was well-liked by viewers. Llamas now has his work cut out for him to try and catch up with ABC World News Tonight's David Muir, who last week scored his biggest ratings win over NBC Nightly News in more than a year.
Llamas, once Muir's protégé, has done well with younger viewers, occasionally his older rival in the key 25-54 year-old demographic twice since his start in June.
That age group is particularly sought by advertisers because it tends to have higher disposable income.
He has also continued to anchor his other show, NBC News Now's Top Story, where there has been virtually no turnover turnover since he started hosting in 2021, sources told Daily Mail.
But Holt, a fixture in American households for more than a decade, was a major loss.
The 66-year-old newsman remains at the network with Dateline - a decision he told Variety in May stemmed from a deep-rooted desire to get his hands dirty with stories that do not demand a desk.
Insiders told Breaker that Rafferty's move, similarly, stemmed from a desire to avoid the daily rat race of producing a show that requires a certain style of leadership.
Llamas' style - at least compared to Holt's 'low-key and unassuming' style that the New York Times talked up in a profile penned in 2019 - has been difficult for some to digest.
He's been in the hot seat for just eight weeks. Previously, before joining NBC News in 2021, he worked under Muir as a weekend host on World News Tonight.
The show, once second-place to NBC Nightly News, is comfortably in first place with 7.272 million average total viewers as of the week of July 21, new Nielsen numbers show - much more than Llamas' 5.6 million.
June was also ABC's biggest ratings win in three decades for the second quarter, continuing a trend of dominance started by Muir after he succeeded a then second-place Diane Sawyer.
Llamas' strides against Muir, 51, with winning over younger viewers, however, unsettled ABC News bosses who regard Muir as the network's crown jewel, sources told Daily Mail last month.
Llamas, 46, previously told The Washington Post of his desire 'to be number one.'
'It's not easy,' he said. 'But it's something I think we can do.'
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But just one month later, Westcott filed a lawsuit against Gudvi, alleging he was heavily medicated and not of sound mind when he contracted with Perry for the sale. He maintained that the contract was thus "void" on the grounds of his mental incapacity when he signed it. Westcott has been bedridden for nearly two years as he suffers from Huntington's disease, a brutal condition that stops parts of the brain working properly over time. However, the pop star's legal team successfully countered his challenge in court, and keys were exchanged in 2024, meaning that Westcott had to move out. The judge said Westcott presented no persuasive evidence that he lacked capacity to enter into a real estate contract between June 10, 2020, and June 18, 2020, the days during which he negotiated and signed the contract. His angry son, Chart, told The U.S. Sun in February that Perry was "a rich pop star who can buy any other house in the world... she has no empathy... it's unforgivable." 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RENTED OUT A source has told The U.S. Sun that the luxury house is currently being rented by Jurassic World star Chris Pratt, 46, and Katherine Schwarzenegger, 35. She is an American author and the eldest daughter of legendary Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger and NBC broadcast journalist Maria Shriver, who is also a member of the famous Kennedy family. The source added that, ironically, "Shriver initially put in a bid for the same house in 2020." Westcott's attorney returned to court last Tuesday ahead of a "likely attempt to subpoena Pratt because he is a material witness," she said. "For example, to establish when he started renting? He is living in a property that is wrapped up in a legal battle." The star is likely to be asked to testify - "Katy has already been mandated to do so," the source said. She added that Westcott's team "want to know how much Pratt is renting the house for. "Perry has claimed millions of dollars in damages, and claimed that it's not liveable - it's clearly liveable because an A-list actor is renting it." PRATT TESTIMONY Pratt's name was mentioned several times in court filings by Westcott's legal team last Friday in documents submitted to the Superior Court of the State of California. Before Perry's damages claim goes to trial, Westcott's attorneys have asked Judge Lipner to consider a "status report of issues to be resolved." Their August 1 document claimed: "Now, just before the Phase 2 trial, there is new, never-before disclosed evidence that Perry has rented out the Westcott property to the actor Chris Pratt and his wife. "Per a recent Daily Mail online newspaper article... 'sources close to Perry' say she rented the house to actor Chris Pratt." In their filings, the judge was asked to issue a pre-trial order to "allow Westcott's repair expert Steve Norris to do a short three-hour house re-inspection of the property... so he can see what repairs were done and opine as to their reasonable value." His attorneys also asked the judge to "allow Westcott to take several re-depositions limited to 3 hours each of the following persons: Perry and Gudvi... Chris Pratt (the tenant at the property, concerning its condition or problems and the terms of his lease agreement with Perry), and Orlando Bloom, Perry's boyfriend and father of her child, whose deposition testimony showed would personally be in charge of repairs." They alleged, "Now that we know Perry just rented out the house to a famous actor, conducting a trial on the real merits... means that this court's discretion should be exercised to allow the few and very short depositions requested and to allow Mr. Norris to spend 3 hours re-inspecting the property. "Another reason for allowing the short and few depositions is to allow Westcott and this court to know who owns the house after the recent split between Perry and her boyfriend Orlando Bloom." Their filings also alleged, "The current issues were caused by Perry/Gudvi waiting until after the September 2024 discovery cutoff to perform repairs, unless they did no repairs yet were still able to rent out the house as-is to Chris Pratt, which would tend to show the alleged repairs were exaggerated to drum up damages. "Either way, Perry's conduct is unfair and without the requested house inspection and short depositions requested by Westcott deprives him of a trial on the real merits." PERRY TO TESTIFY The source told The U.S. Sun today, "Judge Lipner confirmed that Katy will have to testify for at least an hour or more to the damages claim." Timeline of Katy Perry's mansion battle against veteran Carl Westcott July 2020: Entrepreneur Carl Westcott, US Army veteran and founder of 1-800 Flowers - sold his Montecito mansion to Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom for $15 million. Westcott had bought it only two months earlier for about $11.25 million. August 2020: Westcott filed a lawsuit against Perry and Bloom's business manager, Bernie Gudvi, alleging he was heavily medicated and not of sound mind when he contracted with Perry for the sale. The pop star's legal team countered and alleged that Westcott, who has Huntington's disease, had changed his mind on the sale, and the contract should be upheld. December 2023: A judge ruled in favor of Perry, and upheld the original sales contract. A Los Angeles judge ruled that Westcott failed to prove incapacity, finding him of sound mind during the sale negotiations. March 2024: The keys were exchanged. On May 17, 2024, Perry officially took legal ownership after the deed was recorded. 2024-2025: Phase two of the legal action - after the successful verdict, Perry lodged a damages claim for $6 million against Westcott, who is bedridden and currently receiving 24/7 care. This claim has yet to go before court. August 2025: Damage claims and ongoing litigation - Perry has paid $9 million so far for the luxury property and is now seeking $6 million in damages, citing structural defects, deferred maintenance, and lost rental income. TRIAL IN AUGUST The latest legal request follows filings submitted by Westcott's legal team, lodged in the Superior Court early July, and which outlined a further motion in the case. The July documents show that Westcott asked the court to "exclude any and all evidence, references to evidence, exhibits, testimony or argument relating to claims for alleged damages concerning repairs allegedly needed at Mr. Westcott's former home located at... Santa Barbara, California, as of May 17, 2024." Westcott's legal team explained in these earlier filings that escrow closed on May 17, 2024, and that Perry "must testify" in the penalty phase. "Since Gudvi had signed the contract in his capacity as the agent of the singer Katy Perry, the court ruled that Perry is the real-party-in-interest as to the damages being sought in the Phase 2 trial and that she must testify during the trial." Who is Carl Westcott? Katy Perry is suing the bedridden and ailing veteran, 85, who has a neurological disorder Carl Westcott was born in 1939 at the charity hospital in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Westcott and his five sisters lived in a house without indoor plumbing. When Westcott was six, his father - who drove a logging truck - left and never returned. His mother became a nurse's aide, earning just $5 per eight-hour shift. When he was five, Westcott sold papers in front of the Vicksburg Hotel, as well as chewing gum - he also shined shoes. "By the time I was eight, I was making more money than my mother." The judge ruled that the boy should go to Columbia Training School, a state institution, until the situation improved at home. When Westcott was 16, he asked his mother to change his birth date in the family Bible to prove he was old enough to join the U.S. Army. He became a paratrooper and was honorably discharged as a corporal After becoming a successful car salesman, he joined Sopp Chevrolet as the dealership's general manager. In 1983, Westcott bought the NBC television affiliate in Tyler, Texas. His firm, Westcott Communications, became a pioneer in producing training programs in 18 fields such as automobile dealership management, certified public accountants, and law enforcement personnel. The company went public in 1989, and Westcott sold it in 1996. He said that, throughout his lengthy life, he has treated others with respect and dignity. Source: Horatio Algar Association of Distinguished Americans - Westcott was an award recipient in 2003 The documents also said that the property title, "was vested in the name of an entity supposedly owned by Perry called DDoveB LLC, a California limited liability company, formed on April 9, 2024. "The name of the LLC closely resembles the name Perry's daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom, the child of Perry and her long-time actor boyfriend, Mr. Orlando Bloom. "Westcott's counsel has repeatedly asked Perry's counsel who owns the LLC that owns the house? "This court has always been told that Gudvi is Perry's manager and agent, and at her deposition before Phase 1 Perry testified the house was to be owned by her and she was buying it to live in, and not to rent." QUESTIONS OVER REPAIRS Westcott's legal team claimed in the July court document that under the terms of the house sale contract, it stated the home was being sold "in its present physical condition" and that the singer "had the right to perform inspections" prior to escrow being closed. They alleged that "Perry's lawyers did not even produce a written schedule showing each alleged item of repair and the cost Perry is seeking for each allegedly defective condition." His lawyers also claimed in the documents that "newspapers reported that Perry had just rented the house to the actor Chris Pratt, whose wife is the daughter of Maria Shriver, whom the court will recall from the Phase 1 testimony was bidding against Perry to buy the property in 2020." This revelation prompted Westcott's team to "immediately contact Perry's counsel" and ask for further details about her current rental agreement with Pratt, per the document. His lawyers also requested an "expert" to visit the property to "visualize any repairs." 8 8 The document added, "Given that many of her prior 'estimates' totaling $2.29 million pertained to habitability items, it defies logic and common sense that she was able to rent the house to a famous actor. "Perry's counsel flatly refused in a series of approximately half a dozen meet and confer emails to even disclose if repairs had been done." FAMILY HOME The Daily Mail reported in June that the singer had rented out the property to Pratt. A source told the paper, "The arrangement suits Chris, but it's a bit of a surprise given how Katy fought tooth and nail to get her hands on the house. "She previously suggested it was the ideal place for her and Orlando to raise a family. "After all that time, energy, and money, it seems unthinkable that they are not going to live in it." The U.S. Sun has contacted representatives for Pratt, Perry and Bloom for comment on the latest developments in the bitter case. STRUGGLE Westcott had intended to live in his home for the remainder of his life, according to his angry family. His son, Chart, ranted on X last November, 'My family has been in a struggle against… Katy Perry and now Orlando Bloom to defend the honor of my father, Carl Westcott, who is dying from Huntington's Disease. 'He is a US Army Veteran and winner of the Horatio Alger US award (an honor he shares with Clarence Thomas, Buzz Aldrin, and Donald Trump's father Fred Trump). 'Celebrity privilege, much like political lawfare, must end. We cannot afford any two tier justice in America.' The Horatio Alger Award is given to exceptional leaders who 'personify the American Dream' and have triumphed over adversity to achieve greatness. The latest revelations come as photos showed Justin Trudeau and Perry enjoying a night out in Canada after the singer split with Bloom earlier this year. 8 8
