Katie Couric Could Replace Brian Williams If He Is Fired For Iraq, Hurricane Katrina Stories

Katie Couric is willing to step into Brian Williams’ vacant spot if necessary, says New York Daily News?. Couric could step in for Brian Williams if Brian’s “several days” of absence turns into a permanent vacation due to Williams’ controversial Iraq story that has turned the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News into the subject of an investigation by NBC News.

Williams, the chief anchor, retracted statements that he made when he claimed he was inside a helicopter that took fire from a rocket-propelled grenade in Iraq, and said he “conflated” two memories of incidents that happened years ago. The fact-checking inquiry into Brian Williams is underway by NBC News after a soldier posted to his Facebook page that he didn’t remember Brian being on the same helicopter that took fire. As a result, Katie Couric is more than willing to step into the role, fresh off of Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel’s funny Super Bowl ad — as reported by the Inquisitr — that showcased the NBC duo back in 1994 and again in 2015, with the earlier video footage showing the clueless web users asking, “What is ‘Internet’ anyway?”

Katie Couric is reportedly chomping at the bit to take the spot if Brian should vacate the role, depending on the sources asked about Couric’s interest. While some say Katie is eager to jump at her chance, others say Couric returning to that capacity would be old hat.

“Katie still has deep, deep contacts at NBC. She would love to return as the ‘Nightly News’ anchor. No one smells blood like Katie. She is like a shark. Brian is in deep trouble and this could be her chance. You don’t get to be as successful as Katie without being ruthless. Behind her is a line of bodies she needed to step on to get to the top.”

Meanwhile, “A Personal Note from Brian Williams” is going viral online on the Inside NBC News Public Relations website.

“In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news, due to my actions. As Managing Editor of NBC Nightly News, I have decided to take myself off of my daily broadcast for the next several days, and Lester Holt has kindly agreed to sit in for me to allow us to adequately deal with this issue. Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us.”

Notably, no mention of Katie Couric replacing Brian Williams was made in the NBC statement.

[Image via New York Daily News]