For 20 years Tom Brokaw delivered the news to Americans on NBC Nightly News, but in 2021, after a 55-year career the veteran anchor made the painful decision to retire.
The 83-year-old sat down with CBS‘ Jane Pauley, a longtime friend and former Today co-host, to discuss why he decided to part ways with NBC News after nearly six decades in the business.
Brokaw began his NBC News career in 1966 where he held various positions over the following decades until he retired in 2021.
But when the time came to leave the network, it wasn’t something he was looking forward to.
“For the first time in my life, I found myself in uncharted territory, navigating through unfamiliar waters,” he said.
The journalist said his 2013 diagnosis with multiple myeloma, a treatable yet incurable blood cancer, changed the way he approached life.
“I really had to give up my daily activity with NBC. You know, I had to walk away from them, as they were walking away from me. I just wasn’t the same person… And so for the first time in my life, I was kind of out there, you know, in a place I had never been in my life.”
Brokaw explained how he used to think he was immune to life’s hardships, but it wasn’t until his cancer diagnosis that he realized it was how he handled life’s hardships rather than being immune to them.
“However, as I’ve grown older, this condition has become an undeniable reality. The key is doing everything in your power to manage it.”
Tom Brokaw is an icon in American journalism. I remember being so sad when he announced he was retiring.
I hope he’s doing well.
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