Brian Williams on Thursday signed off from The 11th Hour for the final time. After 28 years with MSNBC and NBC News, the television host jumped “without a net into the great unknown,” Williams exiting the cable news network with a final broadcast and monologue in which he warned of his “biggest worry” for America. Williams announced in November that he would be leaving the network and The 11th Hour, which he has hosted for five years, to pursue new opportunities.
Speaking to viewers at the end of his final broadcast and amid a video montage highlighting his career, Williams said that “after 28 years of Peacock logos on much of what I own, it is my choice to now jump without a net into the great unknown.” He noted that “for the first time in my 62 years, my greatest worry is my country.” Sharing that he is “not liberal or conservative” and is instead “an institutionalist, and my love of country I yield to no one,” Williams went on to warn of a spreading “darkness on the edge of town.”
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“The darkness on the edge of town has spread to the main roadways and neighborhoods. It’s now at the local bar, at the bowling alley, at the school board and the grocery store. And it must be acknowledged and answered for,” Williams continued. “Grown men and women who swore an oath to our Constitution – elected by their constituents [and] possessing the kinds of college degrees I could only dream of – have decided to join the mob and become something they are not, while hoping we somehow forget who they were. They’ve decided to burn it all down with us inside. That should scare you to no end.”
Williams went on to thank his colleagues and the guests on his show, saying that “everyone I’ve worked with has made me better.” He added, “What a ride it’s been. Where else, how else, was a kid like me going to meet presidents and kings and the occasional rockstar?” He concluded by telling viewers he will “probably find it impossible to stay silent” and will likely provide further commentary after he’s “experimented with relaxation.”
Williams first joined the network in 1993 and went on to become the anchor for The News with Brian Williams in 1996. In 2004, he began anchoring NBC Nightly News, a role he took over from Tom Brokaw and one he remained in until 2015 when he was suspended without pay for telling an exaggerated story about being in a helicopter brought down by enemy fire. Following his suspension, Williams became the breaking news anchor for MSNBC. In his absence, CNN reported that The 11th Hour will be anchored by a rotating list of guest hosts beginning on Monday. The show will not air on Friday, according to MSNBC’s schedule, which instead lists the premiere of the documentary Paper & Glue in place of the program.
