Brian Williams to Leave NBC
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images for Meet the Press
Brian Williams is leaving NBC after a 28-year run, The New York Times is reporting.
Times media correspondent Michael Grynbaum reported on Tuesday night that the host of The 11th Hour on MSNBC and former anchor of NBC Nightly News will step away from NBC at the end of the year upon the expiration of his contract.
“Following much reflection, and after 28 years with the company, I have decided to leave NBC upon the completion of my current contract in December,” said Williams in a statement on Tuesday. “I have been truly blessed. I have been allowed to spend almost half of my life with one company. NBC is a part of me and always will be.”
Williams, 62, stepped down from Nightly News in 2015 after it was revealed he had embellished a story about his helicopter taking fire in Iraq in 2003.
Born in New Jersey, Williams worked as a reporter for CBS News from 1981 to 1993 before joining NBC.
In an internal email, MSNBC President Rashida Jones wrote,
After nearly three decades as an award-winning journalist and anchor at MSNBC and NBC News, Brian Williams has informed us he would like to take the coming months to spend time with his family. He will be signing off from The 11th Hour at the end of the year.
Brian’s time at NBC has been marked by breaking countless major stories, attracting leading journalists and guests to his programs, and most especially, great resiliency. He has built a fiercely loyal following for The 11th Hour and we and our viewers will miss his penetrating questions and thoughtful commentary.
Please join me in expressing our deep gratitude for 28 years of devoted service to our viewers and wishing him the very best.
Brian’s time at NBC has been marked by breaking countless major stories, attracting leading journalists and guests to his programs, and most especially, great resiliency. He has built a fiercely loyal following for The 11th Hour and we and our viewers will miss his penetrating questions and thoughtful commentary.
The 11th Hour premiered in 2016.
