McFadden became an anchor of "Primetime" in 2004 and, having previously substituted for Ted Koppel on several occasions, an anchor of "Nightline" on November 28, 2005, along with Martin Bashir and Terry Moran, following the longtime anchor's final broadcast. Bashir left the program due to fallout from credibility problems from the disputed and controversial reports on singer Michael Jackson and was replaced by Bill Weir in 2010. The three tended to anchor in shifts, leading the show by themselves every third night. While "Nightline" was threatened with cancellation in 2002 under Koppel's long-form journalism format, it saw a resurgence in its ratings and prominence after switching to more celebrity topics, pop culture and entertainment news, often competing for higher numbers with the "Late Show with David Letterman". As anchor, McFadden conducted a number of significant interviews including ones with celebrities such as Clint Eastwood, Paul McCartney and Judge Judy Sheindlin, past and present world leaders such as Pervez Musharraf and Tony Blair, and five with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.