“Girls” star Allison Williams defended her disgraced dad, anchor Brian Williams, on Wednesday.
During a Q&A with Seth Meyers at 92Y about her acting career, Allison spoke publicly for the first time about her father, calling the suspended NBC News anchor “an honest man, a truthful man,” and adding, “I know you can trust him.”
“This has been a really hard time,” she began when Meyers asked how her family is doing. “Obviously [it’s] toughest on my dad, who is sort of bearing the full burden of the responsibility for it, but my mom has been so strong and my brother has been amazing. My dad has always been there for us 100 percent of the time … so to be here for him is the least we can do.”
She said that despite Williams’ admission he was untruthful about being fired at in Iraq in 2003, “One thing this experience has not done is shake my trust and belief in him as a man. He’s a really good man, an honest man, a truthful man — he has so much integrity and so much respect for journalism. And yes, he’s a really good dad. I know you can trust him because, as any good daughter does, I’ve tested him on that.”
Allison recalled that in 2003, “when he was in Iraq … I was in ninth grade and there was a father-daughter dance … before he left he said he would be back in time.” But, “As the day was coming, it didn’t seem like he was going to make it as he had promised … I was so upset and I got a surprise call from my dad from Iraq, and he was asking if I had a date to the dance. So that’s the kind of man he is. I can’t wait until he’s back on TV and I know many of you guys feel that way. Thank you for all your support.”
The audience applauded her comments, which she’d made while looking down at the stage and speaking in a subdued tone.
Earlier, she’d attended a Michael Kors fashion show but stayed mum.
“NBC Nightly News” has lost 700,000 viewers since Williams’ suspension.