Brian Williams is stepping aside at NBC Nightly News, for now


In a memo to NBC News staff on Saturday, Brian Williams said that he is stepping away from the NBC Nightly News desk anchor desk for "several days," after he admitted to erroneously putting himself on a helicopter hit by a rocket-propelled grenade while covering the Iraq War in 2003. Weekend anchor Lester Holt will fill in for Williams during his absence.
"In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news, due to my actions," Williams told his NBC News colleagues in his memo. "Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us."
The New York Times cobbled together Williams' shifting story of his harrowing helicopter ride, from what appears to be an accurate report after it happened to gradually placing himself in the Chinook hit by an RPG, rather than one following behind:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Williams "can't be gone too long," Al Tompkins at the Poynter Institute tells The Associated Press. "The timing will be critical - too short and it won't seem like he has taken himself out of the game long enough, and too long and he looks like damaged goods." New York Times media critic David Carr argues that "American public won't abide someone putting himself into the naughty corner and setting the conditions for staying there," and that Williams needs to make "a full-throated, unmodulated apology." At the same time, Carr doesn't think Williams should be fired: "His transgressions were not a fundamental part of his primary responsibilities." NBC is conducting an internal investigation.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
What will be Warren Buffett's legacy?
Talking Points Observers call him 'the greatest investor of all time.'
-
Art review: "Wayne Thiebaud: Art Comes From Art"
Feature At the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, through Aug. 17
-
What are certificates of deposit and how do they work?
The Explainer CDs may be the right solution for your savings goals
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine