Nightly News anchor Brian Williams appeared on the Simpsons' 20th anniversary special, Sunday, to pontificate on the cartoon’s own news host, Kent Brockman: "Kent Brockman has, in his own little world, got it going on. If you can fake the everyman thing, you have got it made. And that’s clearly what Kent has made his bones doing."
Discussing the nature of arrogant journalists, Williams continued, "He's got a little bit of that pomposity going, which we forgive, because television anchors do something special. We get to tell people what happened." Dan Rather also appeared to admit that Brockman’s portrayal of journalists isn’t far-fetched: "I don't know much, but I do know a few things about television news, and to get it bull's-eye, every time, well, a tip of the Stetson to them."
Williams has made appearances on several pop culture shows in the last month. In December, he stopped by Access Hollywood to promote the fifth anniversary of Nightly News. On Sunday, he even speculated about whether Marge Simpson is sexy: "I never saw Marge in that way. I never looked at her as a sex object. I do now."
On a more serious note, Simpsons producer David Mirkin touted the show’s America-bashing as a key to its world-wide popularity: "It's one of the shows that puts down America, that makes fun of America, that doesn't have to have the attitude, ‘America's number one and there’s nothing wrong with us.’"
A brief transcript of relevant sections of the January 10 Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special: In 3-D! On Ice! can be found below:
8:46pm
BRIAN WILLIAMS: I never saw Marge in that way. I never looked at her as a sex object. I do now.
8:58pm
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Kent Brockman has, in his own little world, got it going on. If you can fake the everyman thing, you have got it made. And that’s clearly what Kent has made his bones doing.
DAN RATHER: I don't know much, but I do know a few things about television news, and to get it bull's-eye, every time, well, a tip of the Stetson to them.
WILLIAMS: He's got a little bit of that pomposity going, which we forgive, because television anchors do something special. We get to tell people what happened.
9:26pm
DAVID MIRKIN: It's one of the shows that puts down America, that makes fun of America,
that doesn't have to have the attitude, "America's number one and there’s nothing wrong with us."
