MSNBC’s Brian Williams dryly skewered House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Thursday night for going to visit former president Donald Trump, a man McCarthy recently asserted held some responsibility for the deadly Capitol riot on Jan. 6.
Williams promised “11th Hour” viewers that he had “exclusive” video of the two Republicans meeting up for the first time post-election, then rolled the famous scene from “Jerry Maguire” in which Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger try to outdo one another’s professions about how in love with each other they are.
Following Zellweger’s final iconic line — “You had me at hello” — Williams cut back in.
“That is, uh… Obviously, we have rolled the wrong clip. We were sold a bill of goods here. I thought this was going to be of the McCarthy and Trump meeting and someone’s going to be, of course, in big trouble,” he said.
Reaction to his bait-and-switch was strong and overwhelmingly positive. The anchor trended on Twitter, the platform Trump was permanently suspended from earlier this month, while viewers said Williams was “on fire” as well as “a genius” and “the absolute master of shade.”
Leslie Jones, a comedian who was on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” until 2019, gave her former colleague a shoutout on Twitter, where she’s been critiquing news broadcasts throughout the pandemic and 2020 election.
“Brian pettiness is sooo magnificent!” she cheered.
Watch Williams’ switcheroo below, via MSNBC.
@MSNBC / @BWilliams with exclusive video from today's McCarthy/Trump meeting. Brian Williams is on fire! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xzTTN9uSfw
— Doremus Jessup (@itdidhappenhere) January 29, 2021