Longtime anchor and former fabulist Brian Williams is leaving NBC after 28 years with the network.
“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,” Williams, 62, said in a statement. “NBC is a part of me and always will be.” Noting the longevity of his tenure at the network, he said that he had been “on the air for the launch of MSNBC.”
Williams, who said he wanted to spend more time with his family, did not say he plans to retire outright. He hinted at a next act, but he hasn’t laid out any plans publicly.
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“This is the end of a chapter and the beginning of another. There are many things I want to do, and I’ll pop up again somewhere,” he said. The New York Times reports Williams is not interested in taking another role at a traditional broadcast or cable news channel.
MSNBC president Rashida Jones expressed “deep gratitude for 28 years of devoted service to our viewers.”
“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,” she said.
Williams’ career has spanned, in his words, “28 years, 38 countries, 8 Olympic games, 7 Presidential elections, half a dozen Presidents, a few wars, and one SNL.”
Williams has spent the past five years anchoring The 11th Hour, an 11 o’clock talk show featuring news and commentary from Williams and others, on MSNBC. He has also co-anchored major political events with MSNBC star Rachel Maddow and fellow anchor Nicolle Wallace.
Williams was banished from the anchor’s chair at NBC Nightly News in 2015 after exaggerating and fabricating tales of his war reporting in Iraq. After a six-month suspension, he returned to the airwaves and back to viewers’ good graces, and eventually launched 11th Hour, which found its footing and a sizable audience as coverage of the 2016 election heated up.
