Former WRC anchor Leon Harris has admitted that he was a couple of sheets to the proverbial wind when he went viral for his awkward on-air anchoring on Thanksgiving.
Harris, who said he hasn’t thought of having a drink since December 14, 2024, told former CNN anchor Daryn Kagan that he had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner within four hours between shows at the Washington, D.C. NBC owned station.
“I ended drinking in between shows and then went on the air and I was more affected than I thought I was, even at the time I felt I was perfectly fine,” he told Kagan on her YouTube show, Call Me Friend.
Viewers called in that night, worried that Harris might be having a stroke. Harris took a leave of absence following the broadcast and announced he was leaving the station last month.
“I kind of knew it was coming, but the station just felt it was too much of a negative event, it was too well-publicized that they didn’t feel comfortable in bringing me back,” Harris told Kagan. “Even though I left, I went immediately into rehab.”
Harris worked with Kagan at CNN. He said the broadcast will stay with him forever.
“And knowing that it’s on the internet and still alive is something that I’ll never be able to live down,” Harris said.
