NBC host Brian Williams is receiving praise following his announcement Tuesday that he is leaving the network when his contract is up following a 28-year-stint with NBC News.
Williams was famously demoted from NBC Nightly News for fabricating a war story just six years ago, and since then, he has been an anchor for MSNBC.
“This is the end of a chapter and the beginning of another,” Williams said in a statement. “There are many things I want to do, and I’ll pop up again somewhere.
Williams said NBC “is a part of me and always will be.” The anchor also praised his colleagues.
“Good friends were in great supply at NBC,” Williams said. “I was fortunate that everyone I worked with made me better at my job. I’ve had the best colleagues imaginable. That includes great bosses.”
WATCH: Brian Williams, longtime anchor and @MSNBC host, to leave NBC after nearly 3 decades.
“The 11th Hour is way bigger than any one man or woman. The truth is, our secret has always been it’s always about our guests. That will never change.” pic.twitter.com/9bu2SRfrT0
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 10, 2021
Following the announcement, NBC and MSNBC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff praised Williams for his “support” while author Don Winslow said he was sorry to see Williams leave but that “Brian did a lot of really important work for a very long time.”
I am very sorry to see Brian Williams leave @MSNBC and @11thHour.
Brian did a lot of really important work for a very long time.
— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) November 10, 2021
NBC News Senior Political Analyst Ashley Parker said “there is no one better than Brian Williams.”
“He spotlighted our reporting, and told the news straight, w/ his trademark humor,” Parker tweeted.
Meanwhile NBC and MSNBC News political analyst Philip Rucker congratulated William’s near three-decade career with the outlet and praised him for “rigor, compassion, and a bias for truth and accountability.”
Despite talks of honesty, Williams did admit in 2015 that he fabricated a story about being under fire while covering the 2003 Iraq invasion. Williams originally claimed he was on board a helicopter that was shot by enemy fire and forced to land.
He later issued an apology clarifying he was not on the aircraft but rather was “following” the aircraft, according to The Washington Post.
“I would not have chosen to make this mistake,” William told Stars and Stripes newspaper, according to The Washington Post. “I don’t know what screwed up in my mind that caused me to conflate one aircraft with another.”
Williams’ departure comes amidst executive change at NBC News, according to the report. Williams was reportedly offered a new contract at NBC but declined the offer and did not specify his reasoning. (RELATED: Ted Cruz Comes Back Swinging After MSNBC’s Brian Williams Called Him ‘Kremlin Cruz’)
“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.”
It’s unclear where Williams might be headed next, with Williams saying he will spend the “next few months … with my family, the people I love most and the people who enabled my career to happen.”
Williams has hosted the network’s “The 11th Hour” for five years.