NBC's Fictional Peek in Brian Williams' Office: 'Katie Couric Sucks'

January 22nd, 2007 4:47 PM

NBC's Thursday night comedy "30 Rock" took some good-natured potshots at "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams in a scene that depicted his office as rife with liquor bottles, dirty underwear, pornography ("Junk in the Trunk") and wall graffiti declaring "Katie Couric Sucks." (h/t TVNewser.com)

In a scene on last Thursday's show, "Jack Donaghy," a fictional NBC executive played by Alec Baldwin, finds "Kenneth," an NBC intern played by Jack McBrayer, cleaning an office with Brian Williams's name plate outside the door.

Looking at the mess, which also includes a sock filled with bird seed, Jack is astonished: "Good God, what does that man do in here?"

Mild-mannered Kenneth answers: "I don't know. I've never met Brian Williams, but his dressing room has to be cleaned up every morning between 11:00 and 11:30. That way, when Mr. Williams gets back from the liquor store, it's nice and tidy."

Today's Broadcasting and Cable got a reaction from Williams, and apparently he wasn't happy about the joke that implied a rivalry with Couric, who left NBC in May. An excerpt:

Brian Williams, NBC Nightly News anchor, may be the most impeccably dressed newsman in the business. But in the alternate NBC universe depicted in the network’s comedy 30 Rock, Williams is a consummate slob....

At one point, Kenneth is shown scrubbing the office wall where Williams has apparently scrawled a message to his CBS rival: "Katie Couric Sucks."

When we caught up with Williams last Friday, he told us that 30 Rock creator and star Tina Fey, an old pal, had showed him the script weeks ago—without the Couric gag.

"It was a heart-stopper to see that on the wall," he said. "I hope my old friend Katie knows that’s not really what I do with my free time."

Williams called the send-up "brilliant and hilarious," and noted, for the record, that he’s a teetotaler in real life.

Unfortunately, he had to take another call before we could confirm whether or not he’s a "Junk in the Trunk" subscriber.