According to New York magazine, Nightly News anchor Brian Williams (see file photo at right) is a
"versatile" humorist who now has a "second career" making people laugh.
In a gushing, 3600 word piece, writer John Swansburg went so far as to
fawn, "He's a confident, kempt success in a profession dominated
by neurotics and Apatovian man-children. Isn't it time we took the
comedy of Brian Williams seriously?"
For proof of the anchor's hilarity, Swansburg quoted NBC employees Tina
Fey, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon to attest to NBC employee Williams'
comic talents. The New York journalist lamented that "Williams has yet
to really receive his due as a comedian."
Swansburg explained:
He gets credit for showing up, but not enough for what he does once he gets there. A close study of Williams's ever-growing body of work reveals a versatile performer who can disappear into a character, play the straight man, deliver a monologue, or trade barbs from the other side of the desk. He's a confident, kempt success in a profession dominated by neurotics and Apatovian man-children. Isn't it time we took the comedy of Brian Williams seriously?
Read the full article here [1].
Williams' appearances on NBC programs, such as 30 Rock, have included jokes about anonymous sexual hook-ups [2]
with strangers. Swansburg downplayed whether such questionable attempts
at humor diminish the stature of a news anchor. Williams has hosted
Saturday Night Live and is a regular on Jimmy Fallon's Late Night program.
He also stopped by a special on The Simpsons [3] to laud the fictional Kent Brockman for the ability to fake the "everyman thing."
- Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here [4] to follow him on Twitter.