When Brian Williams Makes the News
NBC Nightly News Anchor Reflects on His Career, Legacy
Oct 18, 2009
Williams, the NBC Nightly News anchor ranked as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World" by Time magazine, is a frequent guest on such entertainment series as The Tonight Show, Saturday Night Life, The Late Show With David Letterman and The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. "I do it, I guess in part, to let people know that I have legs," the desk-bound Williams jests.
In July 2009, Williams' comments to Stewart during a Daily Show appearance shortly after the death of fabled TV newsman Walter Cronkite prompted many media pundits to speculate that Williams and Stewart had launched into a full-fledged feud.
After taking a few zingers from Stewart about the operation of NBC News, Williams explained to the comedian-host that Cronkite was the man he had tried to emulate since he was a child. "It was like Carrot Top was for you," Williams cracked, as the studio audience exploded with laughter.
Williams and Jon Stewart Enjoy Special Friendship
The one-liner "occurred to me at the last second," Williams claims in a recent interview. "I reached into my quiver. I needed something, and I thought Carrot Top would be about the most insulting [to Stewart].
"We have a very funny relationship," he says. "He knew my wife, Jane, was in the green room, and when we went to a commercial break we talked about, 'How's your wife? How are the kids?' We have a great friendship and it's really developed into a fun schtick."
Williams thinks it's important for TV viewers to occasionally see him in a less serious, human light, and says broadcast history supports his opinion.
"I've looked into this," he says. "I've hosted Saturday Night Live and was buoyed to learn (former NBC News correspondent) Edwin Newman hosted SNL when he was with NBC News at the height of his career. Cronkite went on [The Tonight Show With Johnny] Carson. They were great friends off-camera. David Brinkley did, too. They would go on shows like Merv Griffin. The culture was different then.
Williams Want Viewers to See Other Side
"I do it because I enjoy it. My children and my wife will tell you that who I am during the very tightly controlled 30 minutes of Nightly News isn't at all who I am. And so how do you rectify that? There's nothing wrong with my day job. I don't want to change anything about Nightly News. It happens to be very serious business most of the time. But going on these other shows allows me to show something else. I think people should do it if they're comfortable with it, and for me, it performs a great service."
Celebrity is an unavoidable consequence of delivering the news to America's living rooms five nights a week. "It's actually a part of the business I didn't count on," Williams concedes. "And the people who know me know that I don't always deal well with it. People are lovely and charming and pleasant. I'm always surprised by it. I never go out expecting it.
"I'm on the third floor of 30 Rock right now, and if I go downstairs for a sandwich at lunchtime with the building full of tourists and I'm in uniform – that is, if I look the way I Iook to them on television – well, I'm going to get stopped. The trick is to go out in plain clothes and a baseball cap and just try to blend in."
As a Child, Wanted to be the Next Cronkite
Yet he wouldn't have it any other way. "When you grow up as I did, Walter Cronkite really was the man I wanted to be," Williams says. "This is the job I wanted when I was 8 years old. This year (with Cronkite's death in 2009) has been very tough for me. The sensation that I might be headed for this is still to this day somewhat unbelievable, given my roots and the way I started. The turns my life took, dropping out of college, I didn't think I'd be here. And don't forget, I had the perfect example and mentor in Tom Brokaw, and our friendship continues to this day.
"I don't know what I'd do if I wasn't doing this. I mean, we get to put in order the stories we want to tell upwards of 10 million people each night, and we get to tell them. In many cases, we get to be the first one to tell people. And that's a fantastic feeling. I feel extraordinarily lucky."
The NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams airs at 6:30 p.m. EST Monday-Friday on most NBC affiliates. Check your local listings for station and broadcast time in your area.
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