NBC4 Washington anchor Leon Harris ‘will be stepping away’ from the news desk after sparking concerns about his health during a broadcast last week.
Harris, 63, was seen struggling to get through his scheduled news segment on Thursday night, missing the ends of sentences and slurring throughout the 6pm show.
On Monday the network finally addressed his appearance and advised he will be off-air until further notice.
‘Last week, Leon appeared unwell while anchoring News4 at 6. Leon will be stepping away from the anchor desk to focus on health issues,’ NBC4 posted online.
‘We here at NBC4 – and you at home – care deeply about Leon and wish him well.’
The seasoned anchor triggered a wave of worry after stumbling over words as he read the teleprompter during the show’s first segment. He also chuckled to himself in between mishaps.
He was promptly whisked off the air as his condition seemed to worsen.
NBC4 played a feature segment and Meteorologist Ryan Miller finished off the show with an extended weather forecast, eventually addressing viewer concerns.
‘We want to assure you that our colleague Leon Harris is fine,’ he said.
NBC4’s statement on Monday is the first time they have addressed his appearance since. DailyMail.com has reached out to NBC4 for additional comment.
Viewers were left fearing for NBC4 anchor Leon Harris’ health after the broadcaster struggled to get through a news segment on Thursday night before he was taken off the air
Harris, a longtime newsman in the Washington DC area, was taken off the air after his concerning broadcast, however a weatherman later said he was ‘fine’
Harris’ fans rushed the network’s update to express their support and hope for his recovery.
‘I have been watching Leon Harris since Leon was on CNN, and I hope Leon Harris gets well soon,’ one person wrote.
‘I’m hoping for a complete and speedy recovery, no matter how long it takes,’ another said.
‘Good. Sending nothing but love, thoughts and prayers to Mr. Harris. Whatever is going on, kick its butt and come back stronger than before brother!’ someone chimed in.
It is unclear what Harris’ exact health issues are, but he recently revealed he was recovering from a foot surgery. He said he slipped down the stairs of his home, breaking his foot in five places.
‘Whatever you do, do not run up and down stairs in socks,’ Harris warned.
The award-winning broadcaster worked at CNN for 21 years before moving to DC in 2003
Harris has previously addressed battles with alcoholism, with some viewers pointing to his past substance abuse habits to explain Thursday night’s episode.
In January 2022, he was arrested again for a DUI in Montgomery County after he crashed into another car while driving at twice the legal alcohol limit. He tried to flee the scene after he rear-ended the other vehicle.
He spent 10 days in jail and was taken off the air for a month during an investigation. Harris received a one-year suspended jail sentence.
Harris was open and honest about his wrongdoing during his on-air return.
‘Many of you know that I made a terrible mistake one night in January,’ he said to open the broadcast.
‘After drinking, I decided to get into my car and drive. This is the worst decision I could possibly have made.’
He also claimed he was ‘embracing sobriety’ after the unflattering incident.
About 10 years ago, the well-known anchor was arrested for a DUI in Montgomery County, Maryland and faced a six-month suspended jail sentence.
Harris (right) married his college sweetheart Dawn Lomax (second from left) with whom he shares two children, Darren (left) and Lauren (second from right)
In September, Harris revealed in a video to viewers that he was off the air again after breaking his foot in five places and requiring surgery
Prior to those incidents, he pleaded guilty to drunk driving in DeKalb County, Georgia and was given probation before judgement in 2003, according to court records.
Harris has previously endured other health struggles, unrelated to drinking habits.
In 2013, Harris experienced a health crisis that put him in intensive care unit for two weeks and left him with half a pancreas.
At 52 years old, he was airlifted from his home to a hospital in Baltimore, where he was diagnosed him with acute necrotizing pancreatitis.
His condition was life-threatening as his pancreas was inflamed and the organ was dying. His kidneys to started to fail and his lungs began to fill with fluid.
The head of trauma at the Baltimore hospital described Harris’ CT scan as ‘looking if a bomb had gone off… where the pancreas resides.’
While on a ventilator, his heart stopped on two separate occasions and he was technically dead. But then the pancreatitis subsided and after five weeks, Harris was back on the air.
Harris has been open about his past struggles with addition, and was arrested for DUIs in 2013 and 2022
Harris spent 21 years working at CNN in Atlanta. He moved to Washington DC in 2003 and worked at WJLA-TV for 14 years before working at NBC4, anchoring evening news segments and becoming a DC household name.
‘Leon Harris is one of the OGs in the DC local TV business,’ someone wrote in response to Harris’ Thursday health scare. ‘Hope he’s okay.’
Harris was awarded the National Cable Ace Award for Best Anchor twice and won a dozen Local Emmys for his reporting and anchoring throughout the years.
He is married to this Ohio University college sweetheart Dawn Lomax with whom he shares two children, Darren and Lauren. Dawn is a nurse at a Maryland hospital.
