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 Robach Defending David Muir He faced widespread backlash for using clothespins on his flame-retardant jacket while covering the Los Angeles wildfires.
Holmes, 47, and Robach, 51, who worked with Muir at ABC, expressed their thoughts on the incident on the Friday, Jan. 10 episode of the podcast “Does This Make Me Look Fat?”
Muir, 51, found a clothespin caught in his jacket during a live game on Wednesday, January 8, which prompted him to be criticized and accused of being more concerned about his image on television than the natural nature of his coverage disaster.
Holmes defended Muir’s accusation, claiming the news anchor may not have even known the clothespin existed.
David Muir faces backlash for custom flame-retardant jacket Fans are upset with ABC News anchor Muir after he appeared to clamp a clothespin around his waist on Wednesday, January 8, while covering the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. When Zhong turned around to look at the destruction behind him, viewers noticed that he appeared to be holding a clothespin around his waist. […]
“If you just read the tweets, there might be a lack of perspective. In this case, a lot of times – and I don’t know if he does this – traveling with producers or even costume people, their job is – you Probably looking at your phone, catching up on the latest news, reading notes, or doing something with people plugging in and out of you, the mic, and the IFB [in-ear monitor] And all these things,” Holmes explained. “You don’t even know what’s going on with you, someone might make the decision ‘Let me do this with this jacket.’ We don’t know.”
Holmes said that despite the use of clothespins, he believed Muir was very hardworking.
He continued: “But just a little bit of context, this guy is going to work his ass off. You don’t like what he does, fine. There’s just too much to pile on.
Holmes admitted, however, that it does look bad for a television reporter to be caught worrying about superficial issues while reporting on an incident where people are losing their lives and homes.
David Muir
ABC“It’s unreasonable to think that people – even in the midst of a tragedy – wouldn’t care about their appearance when they’re about to host an evening anchor show. The question now is how much should they care, and should they? To what extent he cares is another question, but of course he has to care and pay attention to his appearance before he goes on TV. “But if your house is on fire and you see a guy over there with a mirror combing his hair. Doing all this before airing and reporting your tragedy will make you angry.”
Meanwhile, Robach admits that when she’s reporting from the road, she usually makes a concerted effort to avoid looking too “glamourous” by keeping her hair and makeup simple.
David Muir’s tailor-made Wildfire suit was apparently short-lived. Muir, 51, headlined Los Angeles’ World News Tonight radio show on Thursday, Jan. 9, reporting on the wildfires that are devastating the city. He wore a flame-retardant yellow jacket over a black T-shirt, which was unzipped and appeared to be omitting his now-viral clothespin. […]
“As a reporter, I’m very careful not to look like I care about how I look in that moment,” she said. “On the set of a tragedy like this, we all look different than we do on set. On set, we have hair, makeup, nice suits and well-fitting clothes, but when you’re outside, it’s a completely different environment.
Robach also defended the backlash Muir received and said she didn’t think he deserved the treatment he received.
“I don’t think he deserves this kind of hatred… I don’t think it’s fair or inappropriate in any way – especially for people who have never seen your image, your appearance, on TV every day. Being criticized or recognized, so you probably have a high level of awareness about it,” she said.
Check the LAFD website for local wildfire alerts and click here for resources on how to help those affected.
