Tom Brokaw Supported By NBC Employees Due To ‘Unpoken Threat’: Report

Days after dozens of NBC employees showed their support for the network’s host Tom Brokaw, who was accused of sexual misconduct by two women, a report claimed his supporters had no other choice but to sign the letter of support.

After signing the letter – which was publicly published by the Hollywood Reporter – one NBC News staffer spoke to Page Six on the condition of anonymity, saying: “We felt forced to sign the letter supporting Brokaw. We had no choice, particularly the lower level staffers. The letter was being handed around the office and the unspoken threat was that if your name was not on it, there would be some repercussion down the road."

“Execs are watching to see who signed and who didn’t. This was all about coming out in force to protect NBC’s golden boy; the network’s reputation is tied to Brokaw… If more women come forward, that’s a big problem,” the staffer added.

Another employee told the publication that big names coming out in support of Brokaw were bound to sway even those did not support the host. “When you have over 100 women like Andrea Mitchell signing a letter of support without knowing the facts, it’s pretty scary… The letter will have a chilling effect on other women coming forward," the employee said.

Apart from Mitchell, many prominent journalists, many of whom had previously worked or were currently working with Brokaw, openly showed their support for him, including Rachel Maddow, Maria Shriver, and Mika Brzezinski. According to CNN Money, the letter was signed by 115 people.

NBC host Megyn Kelly, however, refrained from throwing her whole-hearted support behind Brokaw. On Monday, she equated the situation of Brokaw’s accusers with her own when she used to work for Fox News.

“I will say that the same thing happened at Fox, and the truth is that you don’t know what you don’t know.” She added that while she loves Brokaw, “I think letters like that can be dicey.”

An NBC News representative said in a statement the letter was a purely the idea of Brokaw’s supporters and had nothing to do with the network. “The letter is a purely grass-roots effort, led by women outside of the company who are motivated by their own support for Tom Brokaw… Management has played absolutely no role whatsoever.”

However, according to the Page Six report, the letter was led by Goldman Sachs executive Liz Bowyer, who incidentally produced Brokaw’s NBC documentary series and also worked with the anchor on two of his books.

Brokaw vehemently denied the accusations against him, in an extensive email sent to a handful of NBC News colleagues. "I am angry, hurt and unmoored from what I thought would be the final passage of my life and career, a mix of written and broadcast journalism, philanthropy and participation in environmental and social causes that have always given extra meaning to my life," Brokaw wrote.