Long before Brian Williams got into trouble over exaggerated tales from stories he had covered, he had tried to get out of his job anchoring "NBC Nightly News" and behind "The Tonight Show" desk, Gabriel Sherman writes in
New York magazine.
In an in-depth piece detailing the troubles at NBC's news division, Sherman notes that Williams was tired of reading a teleprompter for 22 minutes every night — as well as living in former anchor Tom Brokow's shadow — and asked to step in to take over "Tonight" when Jay Leno retired.
But NBC brass nixed that idea, especially since Williams was seen as the lone bright spot in the news division amid a flagging "Today" show and "Meet the Press."
Instead, they gave Williams the weekly primetime news magazine "Rock Center," which Williams hoped would develop into a variety show, Sherman writes. That never happened, and the show folded after two seasons.
Williams even approached CBS to replace David Letterman on "The Late Show," but was turned down by the network as well, Sherman wrote.
Williams appeared on Letterman's show regularly, and even traded off-color jokes with Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show." He was much happier in comedy, Sherman says, and often appeared on Jimmy Fallon's "Late Night" – and later on "Tonight" — "slow-jamming the news."
Fallon, Williams and house band The Roots, would relate news of the day in comic fashion through slow-jam R&B, playing off Williams' staid appearance on newscasts.
Williams yearned to exchange news for comedy so much that NBC News President Deborah Turness had to cajole him to re-sign to his latest contract. She bought Edward R. Murrow’s mahogany writing table from an LA antiques dealer and presented to Williams in an effort to remind him "that he was America’s most trusted anchor — the Murrow of his day."
The message, Sherman writes, was, "He shouldn’t give that up to be Jimmy Fallon."
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