TJ Holmes and Amy Robach defend David Muir after clothespin backlash
TJ Holmes, Amy Robach and David Muir Getty Images (2)
TJ Holmes And Amy Rob defend David Muir after receiving widespread backlash for using a clothespin on his flame-retardant jacket while covering the Los Angeles wildfires.
Holmes, 47, and Robach, 51, who previously worked with Muir at ABC, shared their perspective on the incident on the Friday, January 10, episode of their podcast. “Does this make me look fat?”
Muir, 51, came under fire when viewers spotted the clothespin on his jacket during a live broadcast on Wednesday, January 8, and accused him of caring more about his appearance on TV than the natural disaster he was covering reported.
Holmes defended Muir against this accusation, claiming the news anchor may not have even known about it the existence of clothespins.
David Muir faces backlash over tailoring his flame retardant jacket. Fans are unhappy with ABC News anchor Muir, 51, after he appeared to grab his waist with clothespins while covering the devastating Los Angeles wildfires on Wednesday, Jan. 8. (…)
“The perspective might be missing if you only read tweets. This may lack perspective if you often – and I don’t know if he does – travel with a producer or even a wardrobe man whose job it is to look at your phone, read the latest, look at notes, etc. If “When you’re doing something, people are pulling and plugging things into you, the microphone and the IFB (in-ear monitor) and all those things,” Holmes explained. “You don’t even know what’s happening to you, and someone could have made the decision, ‘Let me do that jacket thing.’ We don’t know.”
Holmes said that despite using clothespins, he thought Muir was incredibly hardworking.
He continued: “But just a little context: The guy is working his ass off. You don’t like what he did, okay. It’s just a lot to lean on.”
However, Holmes acknowledged that it looks bad for a television journalist to worry about superficial aspects when covering an event People have lost their lives and their homes.
David Muir ABC
“The idea that people – even in the midst of a tragedy – about to host a primetime show would give a damn about their appearance is simply unreasonable. Now the question is to what extent they should care and to what extent they should seem like they care is then a different question, but of course he has to care and care about how he looks “before he goes on TV,” Holmes said. “But if your house is burning and you see a man there brushing his hair with a mirror and doing all that before he goes on the air and reports on your tragedy, that will piss you off.”
Meanwhile, Robach admitted that when she was reporting from the road, she was usually careful not to appear too “glamorous” by keeping her hair and makeup simple.
David Muir’s custom-made forest fire ensemble was apparently short-lived. Muir, 51, headlined “World News Tonight” from Los Angeles on Thursday, Jan. 9, where he reported on the ongoing wildfires ravaging the city. Wearing a flame-retardant yellow jacket over a black T-shirt, he left the coat unzipped and appeared to have left out the now-viral clothespin that he (…)
“As a journalist, I’ve made it a point not to give the impression that I’m worried about how I look at that moment,” she said. “We all look different at the scene of such tragedies than we do on set. On set we have hair and makeup, nice suits and form-fitting clothes, but when you’re out there the environment is just completely different.”
Robach also defended Muir against the heated backlash he received, saying she didn’t think he deserved it.
“I don’t think he deserves the hate he’s getting… I don’t think that’s in any way fair or appropriate – and especially not from people who have never had to be on TV every day, where your image, your “Looks are constantly in the picture of being criticized or acknowledged, so you may be overly conscious of it,” she said.
Check those LAFD website for local forest fire warnings and Click here for resources on how to help those affected.
