Brian Williams has been suspended from NBC for six months without pay.
The network released a statement Tuesday saying that the Nightly News anchor has been suspended as managing editor and anchor effective immediately, and Lester Holt will continue to substitute for him.
Williams has been the subject of controversy after it became clear that he had told a false account of coming under enemy fire in Iraq in 2003. The statement called his remarks “wrong and completely inappropriate”:
While on Nightly News on Friday, January 30, 2015, Brian misrepresented events which occurred while he was covering the Iraq War in 2003. It then became clear that on other occasions Brian had done the same while telling that story in other venues. This was wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in Brian’s position.In addition, we have concerns about comments that occurred outside NBC News while Brian was talking about his experiences in the field.As Managing Editor and Anchor of Nightly News, Brian has a responsibility to be truthful and to uphold the high standards of the news division at all times…As I’m sure you understand, this was a very hard decision. Certainly there will be those who disagree. But we believe this suspension is the appropriate and proportionate action.
In December, Williams signed a five-year contract with NBC worth $10 million a year, according to the New York Times.
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