Williams has been with NBC for 28 years, though he was shipped over to late night on MSNBC in 2015 after his Iraq War scandal.
“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,” Williams told the Los Angeles Times.
Williams, 62, was offered the chance to stay at MSNBC but turned it down to relax and spend more time with his family, the Times reported.
Once a living room mainstay on “NBC Nightly News,” Williams’ career went haywire in 2015 when he was exposed for lying about his reporting while covering the Iraq War. He claimed he was in a helicopter that forced down by a rocket-propelled grenade. It later came out that Williams was on a different chopper.
His redemption show, “The 11th Hour,” became an MSNBC fixture. It was so successful that other networks began creating 11 p.m. programming after Williams proved it could succeed.
Though Williams spoke about taking it slow, he’s not hanging up his microphone just yet.
“There are many things I want to do,” he told CNN. “I’ll pop up again somewhere.”
- Top Feature Photo: Brian Williams, pictured in 2010, will be taking some time for himself – Matt Sayles/AP
