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 reporting on the Los Angeles wildfires.
Holmes, 47, and Robach, 51, who previously worked with Muir at ABC, gave their views on the incident during the Friday, Jan. 10, episode of their podcast, “Is This Me makes you look fat?”
Muir, 51, was criticized when viewers spotted the clothespin attaching his jacket during a live cross country on Wednesday January 8 and accused him of caring more about his appearance on TV than the disaster natural environment which he was reporting on.
Holmes defended Muir against this accusation, saying the news anchor may not have even been aware of the clothespins’ existence.
David Muir faces backlash for making his fireproof jacket. Fans are upset with ABC anchor Muir, 51, after he apparently used clothespins to rip off his waist while reporting on the devastating Los Angeles wildfires on Wednesday, January 8. As Muir turned to watch the destruction behind him during a newscast, viewers (…)
“Perspective can be missing if you just read tweets. Perspective can be missing in that, often — and I don’t know if this is the case — when you’re traveling with a producer or even a wardrobe person whose job is — you might be looking at your phone, getting the latest news, checking out notes or “I’m doing something, and people are pulling and plugging things into you, the mic and the IFB (in-ear monitor) and all these things,” Holmes explained. “You don’t even know what’s happening to you, and someone could have made the decision of ‘Let me do this with the jacket.’ We don’t know.
Holmes said that despite using clothespins, he thought Muir worked incredibly hard.
He continued: “But just a little context, the guy works his tail off. You don’t like what he did, fine. It’s just a lot of stuff to accumulate.
However, Holmes acknowledged that it didn’t look good for a television reporter to get caught up in superficialities while reporting on an event in which people lost their lives and their homes.
David Muir
ABC“The idea that people – even in the midst of tragedy – about to host a main evening show would be made fun of about their appearance is simply unreasonable. Now how much should they care is the issue and how much should they appear to care is then a separate question but of course it has to be worry about it and pay attention to your appearance before appearing on television. said Holmes. “But if your house was on fire and you see a guy over there with a mirror brushing his hair doing all this before going on the air and reporting your tragedy, that’s going to piss you off.”
Meanwhile, Robach admitted that when she was reporting on the road, she usually made a concerted effort not to appear too “glamorous” for this reason by keeping her hair and makeup simple.
David Muir’s bespoke wildfire set was apparently short-lived. Muir, 51, headlined World News Tonight’s Thursday, Jan. 9 show from Los Angeles, where he reported on the ongoing wildfires devastating the city. He wore a flame-retardant yellow jacket over a black T-shirt, leaving the coat open and appearing to omit the now-viral clothespin he (…)
“As a journalist, I took great care not to give the impression that I was worried about my appearance at that moment,” she said. “We are all different on the scenes of these kinds of tragedies and on the set. On set we have hair, makeup, pretty costumes and fitted clothes, but when you’re there it’s just a very different environment.
Robach also defended Muir against the harsh backlash he received and said she didn’t think he deserved it.
“I don’t think he deserves the hate he’s getting…I don’t think it’s fair or appropriate in any way – especially from people who have never had to spend every day television where your image, your appearance is constantly being criticized or recognized, so you might be hyper-aware of it,” she said.
Check the LAFD website for local wildfire alerts and click here for resources on how to help those affected.
