May 17, 2025
Leon Harris admitted he consumed a few glasses of wine prior to the infamous Thanksgiving broadcast, and that the situation prompted him to get help for his “alcoholism.”
Former NBC4 Washington news anchor Leon Harris is finally opening up about his past struggles and on-air mistakes. In an interview with his former colleague Daryn Kagan on her “Call Me Friend” podcast, which aired May 14, Harris discussed what happened the day he was removed from his job.
The 64-year-old NBC4 anchor had an incident on air during a Thanksgiving broadcast, where he seemed to struggle to read the teleprompter and slurred his words during a live broadcast.
Just a few months later, NBC4 Washington announced that Harris would be stepping down from his position at the company to reportedly focus on his health.
Then, on April 8, the news anchor, who at the time had been working for NBC4 for an extended period, announced his permanent departure from NBC4.
At the time, Harris stated, “After 40+ years of nonstop work and the dramatic changes in the news and television industry, I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from my role at NBC4. I’m grateful to NBC4 for having me as part of their team for the last eight years.”
The news station confirmed the news on Instagram with a statement of their own.
More recently, Harris discussed all that went down in an interview with Kagan on her podcast.
As per People, he admitted that he had consumed several glasses of wine before the Thanksgiving broadcast, and that his alcohol issues were so severe that he can no longer drink to the capacity that he used to without facing negative health repercussions.
Harris said on the podcast, “I ended up drinking between shows, and I went on the air. I was more affected than I thought I was. Even at the time, I felt like I was perfectly fine.”
Harris was ultimately pulled off the air after multiple viewers contacted NBC4 Washington about their concern for him.
Harris continued, “People were calling. They were thinking that I was having a stroke. It was the most embarrassing thing that has ever, ever happened to me.”
After being pulled off the show, Harris went to rehabilitation to battle his alcoholism. Despite his journey to recovery beginning soon after being pulled from NBC4, he stated that he knows the clips of that infamous broadcast will continue to circulate online.
“I’ll never be able to live down or get away from it,” He told Kagen.
The incident was embarrassing for the former news anchor, but Harris believes that it “may have been liberating” for him as well.
He explained, “Having that job and having the status and the responsibilities that came with it, actually may have been part of the reason I was drinking.”
Leon is currently married to Dawn Harris, and the couple shares two children.
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