New CBS Correspondent Matt Gutman Accused of Embellishing Account of Being Detained in Venezuela, Likened to Ex-NBC Pinocchio Brian Williams: 'He's a Very Talented PERFORMER'
CBS reporter Matt Gutman is being compared to NBC liar Brian Williams.
Jan. 7 2026, Published 6:45 p.m. ET
New CBS News Chief Correspondent Matt Gutman has been called out by former colleagues for "embellishing" his tales of life as a prisoner in Venezuela, RadarOnline.com can report.
Bari Weiss' splashy first new hire is already being compared to famed NBC liar Brian Williams.
Pants On Fire
Gutman has been accused of embellishing his capture in Venezuela.
As the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro unfolded, Gutman recounted his days covering the dictator in 2016, then for ABC News.
The 48-year-old, who has admitted to knowing restrictions on reporting in the country are severe, recently told CBS Morning co-host Gayle King he was there to report on the "corruption" in the country.
"We were leaving, we were pointed out by some of the local militias, then the local police took us in, then the national police, finally the secret police," Gutman recalled. "We were taken to a black site. I was there for five days. They accused me of being a CIA spy — obviously, that’s not true. They threatened that they would keep me there for years to come."
But former colleagues at ABC said any "danger" he was in was his own fault, as he was well aware that he violated several security rules enacted by the network.
"He was lucky he didn’t get fired," one former friend said. "He put everyone, including himself, in a dangerous position because he’s a cowboy."
Gutman's Past Controversies
Gutman had to apologize after comments he made about Charlie Kirk's alleged killer.
Gutman's reporting style has often been called "theatrical" by co-workers, who claim the story often comes second to how he looks reporting it. And he has been called out and disciplined for his glaring mistakes on more than one occasion.
In 2020, the journalist was suspended after claiming on-air that all four of Kobe Bryant’s children were on board a helicopter crash that claimed the life of the NBA legend, when only Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were onboard at the time.
And just last year, Gutman raised eyebrows when he called texts from Charlie Kirk assassination suspect Tyler Robinson to his transgender lover "very touching."
Gutman quickly shared a mea culpa on X, begging for forgiveness.
A Familiar Story
Brian Williams admitted to faking a story about being struck by a grenade in Iraq.
Gutman's goofs had many thinking back to former faker Williams, who during a January 2015 NBC Nightly News broadcast, alleged a grenade hit the helicopter he was traveling in while covering the Iraq War in 2003.
He later changed the story and claimed he was in a helicopter behind the one that an RPG hit.
But even that tale was tall, as the helicopter pilots said the chopper was not directly behind the Chinook that was hit. Veterans who were part of the mission also called out the news anchor for spreading lies.
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Brian Williams Suspended
Williams was soon fired by the network.
Following the blunder, NBC announced the suspension of Williams for six months without pay. An NBC News investigation later found 10 to 12 other incidents in which the journalist exaggerated or misrepresented his stories.
Williams later issued an apology and expressed he felt "terrible" about the incident.
"I think the constant viewing of the video showing us inspecting the impact area, and the fog of memory over 12 years, made me conflate the two," he wrote on Facebook.
