Brian Williams last week reporting from Afghanistan. (Photo: Subrata De/NBC News)
In a Q&A with the New York Post, NBC’s Brian Williams talks about his other NBC life, playing himself shows including “30 Rock”, “The Jay Leno Show” and SNL:
NYP: Are you concerned that your comedic appearances will detract from your image as a news anchor?
Williams: I do have the fear that somehow someone will confuse the two and think that it means in any way that I’m less serious about my work. But I think people are smart enough to differentiate. They get it when they see me cutting up with Jon Stewart or Tina Fey or Jimmy Fallon and they get it when they see me at 6:30 p.m. The NBC folks are all for it – they think it shows people more dimensions of me.
NYP: How do you have time for it all?
Williams: I have no other interests. I’m a non-fiction person in a non-fiction line of work. I don’t read novels to relax – I read newspapers, magazines and Web sites. I go home every night with a briefcase full of work, the news on, and my laptop by my side. I’m always following everything that’s going on and e-mailing folks on the staff, asking them what they think about this or that story for tomorrow. This job is probably done best if it’s your life’s calling.