Comedy Central host Larry Wilmore poked fun of NBC's Brian Williams on Monday's Nightly Show. Wilmore teased his monologue on Williams with a one-liner: "We look at our relationship with war, and revisit the movie Black Hawk Down – or as Brian Williams calls it, 'The Brian Williams Story.'" The comedian likely didn't know that the journalist actually boasted, back in 2003, that his now-discredited helicopter incident was "Black Hawk Down meets Saving Private Ryan." [video below]
Wilmore led his opening monologue with the Williams controversy: "You guys have all heard what's going on with NBC News anchor Brian Williams. Now, hold on: a lot of people have accused him of lying. I'm not going to go that far, okay? But it does appear that somebody has been slow-jamming the truth."
The Comedy Central host continued mocking the anchor after playing a clip from his on-air apology:
BRIAN WILLIAMS (from NBC Nightly News): I made a mistake in recalling the events of twelve years ago.
LARRY WILMORE: It's a simple mistake. Look, as a fellow purveyor of fake news (audience laughs) – now, hold on; hold on – part of me sympathizes with Brian Williams. Look, I understand how stories get blurred over the years – especially in tense situations. Once, I reported that I cold-cocked George Foreman in his grill. I did! I actually – turns out, I just put cold cuts on a George Foreman Grill. (audience laughs, cheers, and applauds) Got it confused – okay? Easy mistake.
Earlier in the evening, on Comedy Central, Jon Stewart minimized his comedic targeting of Williams, and instead, used the issue as a jumping-off point to attack former President George W. Bush and his administration on the Iraq War: "Finally, someone is being held to account for misleading America about the Iraq War."
