Disgraced "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams feels haunted by the "ghost" of his famed predecessor, Tom Brokaw — and openly admitted his insecurity to colleague Chuck Todd, a new report claims.
Several NBC News staffers told New York magazine that Williams commiserated with Todd last summer at around the time that the Washington correspondent took over as moderator of "Meet the Press."
"At least your ghost is dead. Mine is still walking the building," Williams told Todd, according to New York, which hits newsstands Monday.
Todd was tapped to repair the damage done by David Gregory following longtime "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert's death in 2008.
The Post reported last month that Brokaw went ballistic when Williams admitted to lying about being in a shot-down helicopter during the Iraq War, with an NBC source saying, "Brokaw wants Williams' head on a platter."
Williams is currently serving an unpaid six-month suspension from his "Nightly News" gig, which is costing him half his reported $10 million-a-year salary.
The 4,500-word New York article also notes that Williams tried to jump ship to CBS and succeed David Letterman as the host of "Late Show."
A "high-level source" said Williams pitched the idea to CBS CEO Les Moonves, but Moonves took a pass and the job went to Comedy Central funnyman Stephen Colbert.
Earlier, Williams reportedly had tried to take over "The Tonight Show" from Jay Leno, but was rejected by NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke.
Instead, he got his own weekly prime-time program, "Rock Center," which Williams wanted to "develop into a variety show," New York says. But the show never caught on with viewers and was axed after two seasons.
The article also details the stunning, Saturday-morning scene inside Williams' East Side apartment on Feb. 7 when top NBC News execs lowered the boom.
When NBC News President Deborah Turness and then-NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Pat Fili-Krushel told Williams he would have to surrender the anchor's chair for at least six months, his wife, Jane, vehemently objected.
"If you take him off the air you'll be sending the message that he did something wrong," she said.
But Jane Williams hadn't read any of the news reports revealing other questionable claims her hubby had made — including how he supposedly saw a body float past his hotel during Hurricane Katrina — and Williams told her to settle down.
"Honey, you haven't seen the stuff," Williams said.
The mood in the Williams home that night was far different than at a December dinner between the anchor and top NBC execs at Mario Batali's Del Posto restaurant. There, Turness presented Williams with a gift toward the end of the night — Edward R. Murrow's mahogany writing table. The exec, New York wrote, hoped it would convince Williams to abandon his late-night hosting dreams.
A moved Williams, the magazine wrote, announced on the spot that he had decided to stay at NBC for another five years, catching everyone off guard.
"It was like we were a family," a senior NBC exec said.
NBC and Brokaw both declined to comment on the New York piece.
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