Tom Brokaw, the Emmy Award winning former “NBC Nightly News” anchor, spent part of yesterday undergoing a battery of tests at a Charlotte, NC, hospital after becoming lightheaded from a sleeping aid, the network and Brokaw said.
Brokaw, 72, now a special correspondent and part of NBC’s Democratic National Convention coverage team, was taken to Carolinas Medical Center “out of an abundance of caution” when he felt lightheaded on the set of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” early yesterday, NBC News president Steve Capus said in a statement.
“After medical evaluation and a round of tests, Tom was pronounced in great health and has been discharged,” Capus said. “We’re immensely grateful to the team at Carolinas Medical Center for their excellent care and professionalism.”
Brokaw made light of the episode in a posting to his official Twitter account.
“All is well. Early AM I mistakenly took a half dose of Ambien and made less sense than usual. Made a better comeback than Giants,” Brokaw said, referring to Wednesday night’s 24-17 loss by the New York Giants to the Dallas Cowboys in the opening game of the National Football League’s regular season.
Brokaw served as anchor of “Nightly News” for more than two decades, stepping down in December 2004.