During Sunday night’s 40th anniversary special of “Saturday Night Live,” suspended NBC Nighty News anchor Brian Williams was mercilessly made fun of by some of the biggest names in comedy.
Jerry Seinfeld said he was surprised by a little-known piece of information about “SNL.”
“You know there are so many things about ‘Saturday Night Live’ that people don’t know. For example, one of the original cast members in 1975 was Brian Williams,” Seinfeld clowned to rousing laughter. “I don’t know if that’s true, but I never heard that. It doesn’t sound true. It might not be.”
Watch Jerry Seinfeld mock Brian Williams:
[jwplayer ejmO3WvN]
And with the audience filled with NBC executives, comedian Martin Short alluded to Williams, joking, “You know, the roof, the literal roof could cave in on this show right now, and it would be the least of NBC’s problems.”
Williams was suspended last week by the network after the anchor admitted lying about his helicopter being shot down in a war zone when he was being flown by the U.S. military.
And now, a published report suggests the network could fire Williams for violating the “morality clause” in his contract.
Sources told the New York Post a “public morals” clause featured in NBC News employees’ paperwork includes the wording:
“If artist commits any act or becomes involved in any situation, or occurrence, which brings artist into public disrepute, contempt, scandal or ridicule, or which justifiably shocks, insults or offends a significant portion of the community, or if publicity is given to any such conduct … company shall have the right to terminate.”
Recently, Williams had inked a $10 million, five-year contract with the Peacock Network, and reports have said executives seriously considered firing Williams before deciding on a six-month suspension for the anchor.
Meanwhile, top-rated radio host Rush Limbaugh said Monday he’s had a feeling about the Brian Williams saga that “from the beginning he was never really accepted as somebody in the anchor club at the highest levels of the Drive-By Media.”
“Brian Williams has now been discovered, it’s now public knowledge, he dropped out of school. He attended a community college. Now, Ivy Leaguers do not have that blemish on their resumes,” Limbaugh explained.
“He went to community college, then Catholic University, and then George Washington University. None of those are Ivy League schools.
“Now, I don’t know if that is a factor in the fact that so many of his colleagues are not rallying around him. I thought they would, as I mentioned here numerous times. I thought it was a lock that the other two anchors, the other networks would help circle the wagons to protect Brian Williams because that’s protecting the news and that’s protecting the cause, liberalism, but that isn’t happening.”
