ABC Reportedly Paid Darren Wilson Six-Figure Fee for Interview

ABC offered Darren Wilson a “mid-to-high” six-figure payment to give his first and only public interview on the network, according to the website Got News. An unnamed source from NBC reportedly told the website that both networks engaged in a bidding war to score the first interview with Wilson but NBC backed out after its rival “upped the ante.”

The interview was taped in an undisclosed location and broadcast Tuesday, the day after a grand jury decided not to indict Wilson for the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The grand jury’s decision set off protests and riots in Ferguson and many other U.S. cities. Demonstrators called for justice in the killing of Brown and criticized the police and prosecutors for how they investigated and tried the case.

During the interview, which was conducted by ABC host George Stephanopoulos, Wilson gave his account of the events that took place before he killed Brown. Most of what Wilson told ABC was already covered in his testimony before the grand jury. When asked by Stephanopoulos if there was anything he could have done differently, Wilson said “No.”

ABC and Stephanopoulos have been criticized for not challenging Wilson’s account of the incident. People took to Twitter to express their dislike of the interview.