Alec Baldwin says NBC News' 'long and venerable history' is over: 'Rest In Peace'

Liberal actor Alec Baldwin, who portrays President Trump on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” declared the network’s once-proud news division was dead on Thursday night following its town hall with event with president.  

"@NBCNews had a long and venerable history. Huntley-Brinkley, John Chancellor, Nancy Dickerson. Now, they are another casualty of the Trump era. Rest In Peace, NBC News,” Baldwin tweeted.  

Baldwin was referencing journalism legends Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, along with Chancellor and Dickerson, who were part of NBC’s news division during its glory days before a series of scandals tarnished the network’s reputation.  

NBC's decision to air the Trump town hall came under fire when the network announced it would air at the exact same time as ABC’s already scheduled town hall event with Democratic nominee Joe Biden.  

NBC NEWS' DECISION TO SCHEDULE TRUMP TOWN HALL DURING ABC'S BIDEN EVENT 'STUNNING AND SHAMEFUL,' CRITICS SAY

Baldwin wasn’t the only star with ties to NBC to condemn the network, as members of NBC's pandemic-era comedy "Connecting," which normally airs on Thursday night, slammed their network for giving their show the shaft for the president. 

"Shame on @NBC," actress Shakina Nayfack began a Twitter thread. "Y’all sign my checks as of late but I‘m disgusted by my home network giving Trump a platform for fear mongering, bigotry & disinformation. Don’t praise yourselves for putting a trans woman on primetime then give a platform to someone who wants to abolish my rights." 

Immediately after the Savannah Guthrie-moderated town hall concluded, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow came on the air with a rather blunt reaction to the telecast on her network’s sister station.  

"Well, that happened," Maddow began. "Let me remind you that what you just saw was a production of NBC News. We are MSNBC. We did not produce that event. We simulcasted here along with CNBC. But that was a weird replacement for what was otherwise supposed to be the second presidential debate of this general election." 

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Earlier in the week, journalist Yashar Ali heard directly from several NBC employees, tweeting, "I've heard from over a dozen NBC, MSNBC, and CNBC sources (talent and staff) and the frustration with and anger toward their employer for scheduling a town hall against Biden is palpable." 

NBC was also panned by critics for the hostility Guthrie had towards Trump, comparing her conduct to a "debate" with the president. 

Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.