3 News Anchor Scandals That Completely Rocked NBC In The '90s

In 2017, NBC fired long-time anchor Matt Lauer. In the years that followed, Lauer faced several allegations based on his past actions with female coworkers that ruined his reputation and, in turn, his career. Unfortunately, Lauer wasn't the only NBC News anchor plagued by a scandalous situation. In the '90s, NBC not only reported the news, but also dealt with its fair share of news-shattering internal scandals involving its anchors and news stories.

The era was a breeding ground for infamous events, even for the news. "Dateline NBC" was created in 1992 and is currently the longest-running NBC series. Its early days, however, were sour. Following a 1992 report on the safety of General Motors trucks, it was revealed that the crash footage used in the report was deceptively manipulated by NBC. This discovery created just one wave of contention that settled over the NBC newsroom like a dark cloud in the 1990s. 

Jane Pauley was one of the most well-loved news anchors on NBC's "Today" show back in the day. Her warm, conversational tone made the hard news digestible and kept soft news fun and lighthearted. Viewers appreciated her carefully balanced mix of journalistic integrity and sociability. Along with Barbara Walters, Pauley was an inspiration for aspiring female journalists and working moms alike. Naturally, when Pauley left her position and was replaced with the much younger Deborah Norville in 1990, viewers couldn't help but talk. The conversation actually began when Pauley was still anchoring alongside Bryant Gumbel.

NBC decided to give its "NBC News at Sunrise" anchor (a young Norville) a bigger role. Norville would stand out when she co-hosted alongside the veteran anchors. The Washington Post even noted that the three of them hosting together looked like some sort of meeting between a struggling couple, with Norville being labeled as the young "homewrecker" thrown in the mix. Viewers began speculating that Pauley was slowly being booted out of her role due to her age and that Norville was being prepped to take it over. This wasn't the case, as Pauley left of her own volition, but the public speculation led to Norville getting an icy reception when she did eventually take over. The scandal doesn't stop there: Norville's year-long stint as anchor led to plummeting ratings for the "Today" show. 

Norville stepped away for maternity leave and never returned. She was replaced by Katie Couric, who went on to have unforgettable moments in the newsroom. "I was kind of a mess psychologically," Norville told Adweek of how the ordeal affected her. The situation as a whole goes to show just how much bad public perception, even if untrue, can create a disgraceful media storm.

By the 1990s, Tom Brokaw had become one of America's most familiar nightly news network faces. He was a star anchor-turned-legend with a hosting career spanning decades. He was well-respected at NBC and covered massive historical events, with one of his most significant moments being when he became the first English-speaking broadcaster to report on the fall of the Berlin Wall. Unfortunately, as he was hitting milestone after milestone in his career in the '90s, he was also accused of damaging the lives of others in the workplace, creating a scandal that existed only in the darkness until it came to light years later.

In 2018, the world was shocked to learn that Brokaw was facing sexual harassment allegations from former coworkers. The women alleged that in the '90s, Brokaw made unwanted and unprofessional advances toward them. One accuser, Linda Vester — a former news anchor herself — spoke to Variety about her time working at NBC until she left in 1999. The fallout from Brokaw's alleged behavior continued to follow her like a shadow, even after she left. "I still suffered years of humiliation, isolation and shame," she explained in her interview. Brokaw denied the allegations and said in a statement, "I met with Linda Vester on two occasions, both at her request, 23 years ago because she wanted advice with respect to her career at NBC. The meetings were brief, cordial and appropriate, and despite Linda's allegations, I made no romantic overtures towards her at that time or any other" (via NPR).

In the late '80s, Bryant Gumbel took a page out of Regina George's burn book and went to town on his colleagues. Let's be honest — it's difficult to find anyone who loves every single one of their coworkers. Most people, however, would just keep it to a whisper here or there in the break room or a rant at the family dinner table. Gumbel, however, channeled all of his thoughts into writing, which backfired tremendously.

Gumbel had been asked by the "Today" show executive producer to write down his honest, unfiltered thoughts on how best to improve the show as a whole. What followed was an array of shady comments that read more like celebrity blind items than critiques. The memo was leaked, and Gumbel's likable "nice guy" persona began to flicker. He wrote that weatherman Willard Scott had "bad taste," that reporter David Horowitz was nothing but a "cliché," and that the resident film reviewer was a poor interviewer. In an interview with Barbara Walters in 1990, Gumbel said, "I like Willard. The only thing that I regret ... is that I used language that probably was more colorful and more provocative than it needed to be" (via Tampa Bay Times). Nowadays, Gumbel has leaned away from the public eye, perhaps after learning the harsh lesson that nothing is ever really private, especially as a public figure.