January 10, 2025 • 33 mins
Amy & T. J. get into a debate about their former ABC News colleague David Muir. The World News Tonight anchor is catching hell online for his "fitted" fire jacket while covering the LA fires.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hey, folks, A news anchor's wardrobe choices while covering the
LA fires has the Internet buzzing. Some of it's funny,
some of it's petty, some of it's uncalled for, but
it might be giving us a little more insight into
the anger, frustration, and pain people in LA are experiencing
right now. With that, Welcome to this episode of Amy
(00:25):
and TJ Rolds. We debated about getting into this conversation
at all, but what we're talking about here is a
guy that we know pretty well, you better than I,
but a former colleague who's choice of jacket and how
he was wearing it has everybody talking, So please do explain.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
So, the anchor of ABC World News tonight, David Muir,
who often jumps on planes and heads straight into breaking
news tragedies. I've been on those planes with him, and
I've stood right next to him covering a lot of
this sort of news story, and I can attest to
(01:04):
the fact that he is a consummate professional. He takes
his job very seriously, and he works very hard not
just to get the information right, but to present it
in the best way possible. And look, he was covering
the wildfires, and there were hurricane force winds described as
almost tornatic. So he sinched his jacket, as many of
(01:29):
us have done in the field and on the set,
to create a cleaner line.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Wait, ropes, this is what we're talking about. This guy
is covered, this is the story, guys covering the fire,
people losing homes. He's standing on camera, he turns. People
see that he's sensed his jacket, and they're saying, he's
only doing this as a matter of vanity. That's where
we are. We're not talking about this stuff. You're doing
the studio. But I'm saying I'm trying to establish here
(01:56):
that that he is being gripped for that reason. Should
he be or should he not be, we'll discuss. But
that's what it is. He got busted sinching his jacket.
And when people do that, they're usually trying to do.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
What they are, trying to create a slimmer line. Look,
television is one of those. It's a visual medium. And
so yes, I have cinched my jacket. Have you sinched
your jacket?
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Not once ever, and certainly not in the field. But
I've had plenty of people suggested, and I've had wardrobe
folks come out Janetta. If I'm wearing a sweater, She'll
even offer to do it. But no, I've never thought
about it.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
I'm actually I'm trying to think if I ever did
it in the field. I definitely, one hundred percent did
it on set. So you've got a boxy jacket, you
have like.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
A sweater, yes, and it looks a little large.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
So I've had and I had a stylist and she
would come up behind me and she would since I
actually used a clothespin or a hairpin to since it.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
I didn't do it. Someone did it for me.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
I don't believe I've ever done it in the field,
just because I've never had people to even check things out.
I really thought about it, and I think maybe that's
part of it too, just the thought that went into
the look of something. When you have a massive tragedy
unfolding behind you, with flames, people's homes, belongings, lives being lost,
to even be concerned about how you look seems like
(03:16):
a slap in the face to people who are dealing
with the worst possible situation. So I understand the anger
and the fact that they're hurling it at him because
they by seeing that clothespin. It looks like his focus
was on himself instead of on the story he was covering.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
That's understandable. And the son of Ozzy Osborne, Jack Osbourne,
was somebody who got a lot of attention for posting
this on Twitter on X and he said, nice jacket, bro,
glad you look nice andce felt with those clothesline pegs
while our city burns to the ground. That's kind of
the sentiment. Some people are being a little funnier about it.
(03:55):
But if you're out there in LA and you don't know,
if you're on the run and you see this guy
on TV and it comes off, there's no question that's
it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of somebody
who is going through what they're going through in LA.
There's no doubt about that.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Now.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
I'll go further here in a second and possibly defend David,
but there is no I can't explain that away. I understand,
I get it. I got to understand that frustrations, but
he lives out there and this guy is wait a minute,
you're worried about that. Everybody has those jackets on, they're big,
they're boxing. I don't know, now, what did ABC say
(04:33):
or excuse me that there is no official statement. There
is no official statement, I should make that clear, but
there are rumblings out there about it why he might
have done this.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Well, as as we've pointed out, you know, anytime, especially
when it comes to a news organization, no one's going
to put their name behind it because they'd be fired
if they were talking to press about people who they
work with or for. But insiders inside ABC have reportedly
given quotes to different news outlets or different entertainment outlets
(05:04):
saying that yes, he's a combination of Zoolander meets Anchorman
and that you're seeing the real David when you see
his vanity on full display. He didn't mean for you
to see it because he turned to reference burning massive
flames taking over a home, and when he did the turn,
you could see the clothespin. So they were kind of saying, yeah,
he's been exposed something we've all known for a very
(05:26):
long time, and now you all get to see it.
So yes, people absolutely taking the opportunity to then say
how they really feel about him or what they really
think this means, and what people are seeing is actually
what they've witnessed for years.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Look, some give you a more idea of what's out there. Now.
That quote I gave you was from the Twitter or
that tweet we still come tweets.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Yeah, but it's X but we can say they tweet.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
It still tweets. David Muir of ABC cares more about
how he looks than reporting the news. Mainstream media are scum.
So a lot of people are obviously taking advantage or
taking the opportunity to take shots at the media. And
it's a lot of left and right kind of stuff
out there. But I mean, he gave him some low
hanging group.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Donald Trump Junior even jumped in saying, David Muir, the
supposed moderator of my father's presidential debate who instead chose
to be a participant, is so vain that as people
in Los Angeles are losing everything, he used clothes pins
to make his fake fireman's jacket more form fitting. Sick
And then he went on to say, David Muir, Oh,
is this is someone else? David Muir is a national
(06:32):
embarrassment that's from someone else, But people are piling on,
jumping on and well hurling shots at him.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
ABC News reporter David Muir's top priority during the fires
in California was apparently looking good on TV. No matter
how much you hate the media, it's not enough. These
people are disgusting the other. The frustration is understandable. I mean,
(07:00):
upset at the governor, at the mayor. They're upset at
then upset of the firefighters. Those guys are out there,
guys and gals are out their busts and their butts.
But there's frustration to seeing your life go up in flames.
Or a guy like Billy Crystal. I'm just only saying
him because I remember he's talking about forty six years
in a home and it's gone. Now you have people
(07:23):
who have lost everything. They don't have anything except whatever
they ran out of that house with. And for a story,
it just stings. It has to hurt to some degree.
But the perspective might be missing if you're just reading tweets,
the perspective might be missing in that oftentimes, and I
don't know if he does travel with a producer or
(07:44):
even a wardrobe person sometimes whose job is you might
be looking at your phone getting the latest, or on
the phone, or looking at notes or doing something and
people are pulling and plugging things onto you. The mic
and the IFB and all these things. You don't even
know what's happening to you, and someone could have made
the decision to just let me do this with the jacket.
We just don't know. But just a little context. The
(08:07):
guy works his butt off. If you don't like what
he did, find it just this is a lot to
be piling on to.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
This, That's what I was trying to allude to.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
I guess starting it out just with the perspective of
knowing him personally and knowing how hard he works and
how much he does care about the stories he reports on,
and also making note of the fact that this is
a visual medium.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
And I was telling you, you.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Know, look when we're when we're in tragedies and I'm
out in the field, and I have certainly covered more
than I even care to remember of the worst possible
types of stories. You know, I ended up slicking my
hair back in a pony tail because I didn't want
to have a distracted like hair style like you know
you where I was aware at least, and I think
most of us are aware that heavy makeup and overdone
(08:55):
hair and worrying about your wardrobe when you're talking about
mass shootings or a yes. In this case, a massive
wildfire taking lives and homes and property and destroying people's.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Entire communities.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
You would hope that journalists wouldn't really be thinking too
much about how they look in that moment and care
more about getting crucial, potentially life saving information to folks.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
And at least, I mean, you think about this.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
If you're home, you've had to evacuate, you don't know
what's going on, you can't get close to your home.
A lot of these folks who are directly affected are
watching the TV NonStop. They are glued to their televisions
trying to see if they can get a glimpse of
their community, their street, their friends and neighbors, and their homes.
So they're watching and looking at every detail, trying to
(09:41):
see if they can get an idea of what's going on.
And then they see someone who is supposed to be
there helping get that information to them seemingly care more
about his presentation and how he looks than what's actually
going on behind him.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
And I think you know, and I understand that, and
I know you have to take great care.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
I have taken great care as a journalist to not
seem as though I'm concerned about how I look in
that moment. We all look different on the scene of
these sorts of tragedies than.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
We do on the set.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
On the set, we've got hair and makeup and nice
suits and fitted clothing. But when you're out there, it's
just a very different environment.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
But you use several words that I would love to unpack,
as you hate when it's said, but you said, we
said the word seemingly care more about use the word
if an acre is worried, more about how they look,
the seeming and the worry that coming off, as if
you care about your appearance, versus caring about your appearance
(10:44):
every single person. Every place I've ever been, I've been
out there in the middle of a tornado or something,
and in the mids's about to go live, and I
walk past the live truck and I'll still kind of
look in at the reflection out of the window, just
to see if my jacket is on straight or something.
So the idea that people are even in the midst
of a tragedy or about to anchor a main evening broadcast,
(11:10):
wouldn't give a damn about how they look. It's just
unreasonable now to what degree should they care is the issue,
and then to what degree should they come off like
they caring is then a separate issue. But of course
he has to pay attention and care about how he
looks before he goes on TV. But if you saw
a guy your house is on fire, and you see
(11:31):
a guy over there with a mirror brushing his hair,
and the I'm doing all this before he goes on
and reports about your tragedy, that's gonna pis you off.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Yeah, that makes total sense. Yeah, it was funny when
you said that.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
I remember I have because when you're out in the field,
you don't necessarily well, you don't have any of the
normal sorts of either the people to help you make
sure you're not disheveled. So yeah, I've actually looked in
the lens of the camera before I went on because
it's slightly reflective to make sure that my hair wasn't
sticking out crazy, especially if there are high winds. I mean,
I've reported on too many hurricanes to even count, And yeah,
(12:06):
you've got winds whipping and rain in your face, Like,
do I have mascara like falling down my face? Is
my hair like in a crazy place? Because or like
literally the reflection of the camera lens, just to make
sure that I'm not looking disheveled.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I was telling you this.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Someone once said, don't ever apologize for just doing that
one last check to make sure you don't.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Have something sticking out or something looking.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
Strange, because if you do, this is the truth, folks
at home who are watching will go, oh my god,
look at her hair or what's going on with her face,
and they won't hear anything you said. And so I
was told, just make sure your appearance isn't a distraction.
And so that was kind of the lane I tried
to stay in when I was covering these things. It's
not about looking good or looking glamorous in any way,
(12:55):
or looking like thin, whatever you want an adjective you.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Want to put on there.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
It was about not being a distraction. And that was
kind of what I always thought about before. I want
to just make sure nothing I'm wearing or nothing about
my appearance is distracting.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Good or bad. Actually, because there have been some distractions
that people have done, like that's not a good jacket.
Why does she go with that? Like intentional?
Speaker 3 (13:20):
They'll be just appropriate.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Clothing is a huge part of it.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
You don't want to wear a bright color when you're
talking about something sad like. There were all these things
that go into consideration when you're covering things that are
heavy and tough and scary and important.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
You don't your.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
Clothing choices, how you wear your hair, how much makeup
you have on. All of that is considered before you
get in front of the camera.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I do want to give credit to this. I don't
know who this young lady is. I should looked at
a profile. Maybe she was a comedian, but her response
in a tweet about was oh my god, leave David
and you're alone. His felt figure and Miss America hands
maybe the only sliver of happiness people see amongst the
horrific devastation of this catastrophe. Soften the blow, people, soften
(14:13):
the blow.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
I mean, that's some humorous perspective there. And the one
thing I you and I have discussed this, the one
thing that did not ring true for me that I
didn't love seeing as a potential response or defense, was
that somehow using the clothes pin to tighten his jacket
helped with the audio that for me didn't really ring true.
(14:38):
I have been in plenty of hurricanes, I know you
have done a lot of tornado coverage in your days.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
I've never ever pinned a jacket because of the wind.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
You could have maybe I've actually had like a necklace
or something kind of bang on the you know that.
Can you take that necklace off because it might hit
the microphone? Certainly there are things to conc with the microphone,
and a wind guard.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Is really usually good enough.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
So we all, when we're all reporting in whether of
any kind, our amazing audio guys and gals will give
us a windscreen and you put that on top of
the mic, or if you're holding a mic.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
It wind what was the wind gonna it is gonna
be flapping too loud?
Speaker 3 (15:22):
That is that is simply a response that did not
ring true for me, and that was I think unfortunate
because that seemed like a desperate attempt to explain away
something that we all know the truth to. He wanted
his or someone wanted his jacket to not be his
boxy for whatever reason.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Let me ask you directly, if he asked for it
to be pinned for that specific reason, should we still
be taking him.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
I don't think he deserves the hate he's getting. I mean,
I'm looking at some of the stuff on Twitter, the
new face of being a douche. The next one, as
I've been saying for a while now, David Muir is
a douche. I don't think that that is fair or
appropriate in any way, and especially from people who've never
actually had to be on television every day where your image,
(16:16):
your looks are constantly being critiqued or acknowledged, and so
you might have a hyper awareness about that, and so
he wanted his jacket to fit better.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
That is what I believe happened.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
And both of those things can be true. That you
care about your appearance while also caring about the story
you're doing and busting your butt on the story you're doing.
Those both two things can be true. But we have
to I still will acknowledge. It looks bad now, understand
for people, especially those out there who are going through
that hell. I understand, you know what.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
I wanted to share something that I experienced very early
on in my career, and it's not exactly the same situation,
but it makes sense to me. When people are living
through the worst moments of their life, that's all they're
thinking about, that's all they care about, and that's understandable.
(17:12):
I was in bond court and we were there covering
and waiting for a specific prisoner to come out. He
was accused of something horrific. But when you're in bond court,
there are a lot of people, family members even, who
are there waiting to see their loved ones come out
because they've been accused of a crime. We were in
(17:34):
the hallway, a bunch of US reporters and cameramen waiting
for this particular person to come out, and you know,
someone had told a joke about something that happened the
night before, and we were laughing. We were just in
our own world and we were walking into the bond court,
into the courtroom, and I was laughing at something that
someone else had said. A woman stood up and said,
(17:56):
you think this is funny, You think this is funny.
And I think she believed that we were there for
her or her loved one, and she actually jumped on me,
knocked me to the ground and almost threw a punch
in my face, except for the bailiff was able to
pull her out and the judge got involved, and anyway,
it was fine. I didn't get hit, but with my
heart was pounding, I was just like, how dare this woman?
(18:17):
And then I stepped back to think about it in
her mind, in her world, we were laughing when she
was in pain. We weren't being considerate of where she
was in her life, in her world in that courtroom,
and it was lost on me in that moment I
wasn't on camera. But still sometimes as journalist we don't
(18:37):
realize just how impacted people feel when they see something
that we're doing that we don't realize is somehow, in
some way offending them.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
I get that. I'm just going back to David and
the offense. Is it still an insight told if nobody
knew about it, Is he still disrespecting the community, if
he made sure he looked a certain way or the
(19:10):
way he wanted to look on TV? I don't know
the answer to that. I'm just saying those are the
things we are now debating in the that Like you say,
to your point, that woman in that room, these folks
in California, this is this is my time, in one
of the worst days of my life, and whatever's going
on in your world right now, you need to be
respectful because I'm having the worst day than you are.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
And you know what I think that's what it is.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
You nailed it, and we all see things through our
own lens. David sees things through his lens that he
wanted to be presentable, He wanted to look his best,
even though obviously people were dealing with their worst. People
who are the victims of this fire are seeing things
through their perspective, through their lens, and they it's it's
(20:00):
unthinkable to them that someone could even be considering their
appearance in the middle of all of this chaos, in
the middle of all of this tragedy, and that's unthinkable
to them. But it's I think we can all give
each other a break if you acknowledge that this is
about perspective, It's about your frame of reference, and the
fire victim's frame of reference is understandably vastly different than
(20:24):
David or any other reporter's frame of reference.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
They have a job to do.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Well, folks, stay with us here when we come back, Robes,
I'm going to ask you this, would this story be
different if that anchor was a woman? All right, Welcome back, folks.
(20:50):
Here discussing what is being discussed in many circles, in
many places on social media, on the Internet, and very
much a fiery way. A lot of people talking about
ABC News anchor David Muir was seen on air having
the back of his fire jacket, since people thought he
cared more about his appearance than the people who are
(21:11):
losing everything there, but just was a bad look at
the time. But robe we were talking about this, I
think in an elevator earlier today, what if this story,
what if that had been a woman, a female anchor
out there covering the same story, the same spot, doing
the same thing, and that had been seen on the air,
You think this would be any different.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
I do think it would be different.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
I do think that people almost it sounds awful, but
I think they expect women to be vain in a
way that they don't expect men to be. And I think,
you know, from makeup to hair, you know, hair and makeup,
that's something that women do to present themselves in a
more glamorous way or in a more beautiful way. So
to since your jacket would make sense because that's also
(21:54):
you doing kind of the same thing as putting lipstick on,
putting you know. Someone even pointed out in their criticism
of David that he looked like he had a bunch
of makeup on, So no one would say that to
a woman.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
No one would say that.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
To a woman who was covering a tragedy and had
mascara on. I've even noted, you know, I've seen women
reporting on very serious stories with massive false eyelashes on.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
No one points that out.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
So I do think if we're all being honest, I
don't think that people might have pointed it out, and
it might have been a little something. I don't think
we would have seen anywhere near the level of hate
and vitriol that we have seen leveled or hurled against
David if it were a female.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Even possible this would have been a non story if
it was one.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
I think it is possible.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
I think it is absolutely possible that it would be
a non story if it were a woman. A man
seeming to be vain for whatever reason is far more
offensive than a woman appearing to be vain.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
That's my opinion.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
What do you think, Well, I've I couldn't get my seeing,
you know, seeing the story. Honestly, It's never crossed my
mind to do anything like that. When I've been out
in the field my entire career. I've not just reportings
at times, I've anchored tons of stuff all over the
world and been on the air on anchor type situations
(23:21):
in coats, and I have never crossed my mind to
do that. I've been in fire jackets, I've been in
I've never thought to do that. That's fine, So it's
hard for me to understand. I guess some difference in vanity.
You know this about why I'll go out in the
field no makeup, they would always offer. I'm like, nah,
I'm just going to even going on the air if
(23:43):
I'm just doing a story and not if I'm anchoring,
they'll put some powder on me. But if I am
just gonna step out and do a report that day,
I'm only going to be on a second on air
for a minute or so, no need for makeup.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
But you're you're the rarity because I have worked with
plenty of men in this business for decades, and almost
all of them wear makeup.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Well, I were make up when I anchor, So I'm
not trying to.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Say studio lights, studio lights, Okay, Yeah, I mean I
wear minimal makeup in the field, minimal because of that
very reason.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
But to that point, it always seemed to me that
there was I work in TV. So I understand seeing
a guy where they're putting on a lot of makeup,
putting on his own makeup or caring about his makeup,
or in the mirror with his hair is just the
normal thing to me. So I don't think anything of
it when I see guys doing things like that that
(24:34):
come off as vain.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
I don't think because we've seen it for so many
years in newsrooms and out in the field. I've witnessed
it myself now I like I have. Yeah, I'm with
you in the field. I I don't think I've ever
thought about pinning a jacket or any of that sort
of thing. However, I have had in the studio. More
(24:56):
often than not, it's someone else who says, can I
pin this jack for you? Because they're seeing that it
doesn't look right or it's not hanging correctly. I mean, look,
when you see mannequins when you're walking down the street,
the outfits look so amazing, right, and then you turn around,
you get into the store, and you see they all
have been pinned because it looks better, It looks it
(25:17):
makes you look thinner, it makes you look more athletic.
You know, that is what you see in all of
the storefront windows. None of those clothing almost always are
just hanging. They are pinned and designed to look and
fit a certain way.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
And so.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
I've had people offer to and do that for me
on the set, but in the field, I just don't.
I never had people. I wasn't important enough to have
people in the field with me. So perhaps if I
were in the field and I had a wardrobe person
traveling with me and they said let me pin this,
I'd probably say, okay, you know best.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
You're looking at it.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
You know. I've had them look at the camera and
then come around and say you need this. So that
very well may have been what happened with David. Someone
who he traveled with, who is responsible for him looking
a certain way he can't trust, yeah, and he might
not certainly could not be focused on that. I think
that's the criticism that instead of being focused on what
was happening, he was focused on how he looked.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
But it could be people.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
It could be that people around him were looking at
that for him and making that decision on his behalf.
But please just acknowledge that it was an aesthetic. It
was not about the audio. That's all I ask because
you know what, I think people know when they hear
something that's true, and they know when they hear something
that sounds like a phony defense. And that did sound
(26:36):
like a phony defense. Now it did not come from David,
to be clear, it came from a source, which yes,
I'll roll my eyes on that, but someone trying to
give another explanation other than vanity why that might have
been taking place.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
This story will be you've forgotten soon enough, but it's
in the cycle now, and not for no reason. I
get it. I mean, some of the stuff is silly,
and it's petty, and it's unnecessary. Some people add a
little levity to it. I don't mind that necessarily, but
a legitimate frustration at seeing something like that is understandable.
Can't take any issue with anybody who who's wondering if
(27:15):
their home is still standing and looking up at this
gallo TV and that's just a bad look, period, point blank.
But we don't know exactly what happened. We don't exactly
know who asked for it and why and all that.
But even if it was to make it look a
little better, I.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Think it's hard for a lot of us to know
how the sausage is made. You know that people say
you don't want to know. You know, this is common practice.
It just is behind the scenes. And when you are
at a certain level and you do have enough people
around you, you do trust their calls sometime in those
moments about what's best and what's not best. And you
(27:53):
know what, I love something you pointed out earlier, which
was if no one had ever seen the clothespin, if
you had just seen his fitted jacket, it wouldn't have
been a story, it wouldn't have been an issue, it
wouldn't have been anything. I don't believe anyone would have
picked up on or pointed out. So it was just
(28:13):
the turn and the exposure of what was really going
on in the back that created the look that you
saw in the front. And that's unfortunate. And I you know,
you google David Muir and the first thing you see
is David Muir fire jacket, you know. And it will
go away and it will get better, and we understand
what headlines are. But I just wanted to say that
(28:37):
it is a shame because I do think that he
is an excellent reporter and puts himself out there, puts
himself in plenty of and has put himself in plenty.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
Of situations, works really.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
Hard, tirelessly to make sure that people understand what's going on,
to bring people the latest and greatest and important information.
So I just I would hate for him to somehow
appear as though he has no value, no journalistic integrity.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
That's not fair.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
This is something that was pointed out and something that
people can have their feelings about. But I would hate
to think that one moment defines an entire career or
just puts into question someone's integrity. I think that's the
hard pill to swallow for him and for people who
have worked alongside him, that's not fair. I would just
(29:30):
say it's not fair to take one moment or just
the fact that he is yes concerned about how he
looks in front of the camera, and that's true. And
I cared about how I looked in front of the camera.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
And every single person you have ever seen on TV.
Folks cares about what they look like on camera. Even
if you look up at them and say, wow, they
look a mess, they still cared about what they looked like.
Every single person. If this is bothering you that much
about these clips, y'all couldn't handle so many other stuff
behind the scenes that goes on as you don't see,
(30:02):
so many tricks and this and to make this look
better and prop this up and ooh, it's crazy behind
the scenes, and we're we're.
Speaker 3 (30:11):
You know, David Muir is a human being, and I'm
sure he will not be doing this again.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
And I'm sure every single reporter who has.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Seen this happen thinks, WHOA, I am absolutely not going
to do this again.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
I mean, I've stood on boxes to be taller.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
You know.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
There are lots of things you do for an esthetic
on the television so that one person isn't super short
and one person isn't super tall, Like there are lots
of things that you don't see at home that we're
doing that if you actually took a we call it
a dirty shot, but a shot of all the equipment
and all the things that are happening, the bounce lights
that are on you to make you look better, you know,
so that you don't look harsh. I mean, there are
(30:48):
all sorts of tricks and aesthetics that are going on
behind the scenes to make the reporter look more pleasant,
perhaps even in incredibly unpleasant circum stances.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
But folks out there in California. I mean, we are
keeping an eye on it, We're thinking about you constantly.
This is a historic tragedy at this point. And hats
off to all those reporters out there who are in
some very dangerous situations. We've seen, I guess Nick Watson
one that's gotten a lot of attention, almost getting hit
by debris while he was out there reporting. And they
are just those hot spots. These things can pop up anywhere,
(31:24):
so even it's not a fire right next to him,
they're still under threat. Always applaud the reporters who put
themselves in harm's way and covering these stories.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
And they are the lens by which people see what's happening.
They are when you hear these stories and when you
see these stories, and these reporters who are bringing them
to you, and not just the reporters, the cameramen, the
audio camera people. I shouldn't say cameramen, photographers, maybe that's
a better way to put it. The audio personnel, the producers,
(31:51):
the live truck operators, the SAT truck operators, all of
the people who who are there away from their families,
working crazy long hours. It is to make sure that
all of us who aren't there can see what's happening.
It inspires people to open their wallets, It inspires people
to help, It sends prayer chains a buzz. You know,
(32:11):
all of this information is super important and you have
to have those folks on the ground bringing it to you. Yeah,
they may not be saving lives directly, of course, but
they are helping get really important information to people who
need it the most and also letting all of us
know how we can help, and that's all incredibly important
in times like these and tragedies like these.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
So, folks, we always, as always, we appreciate you spending
some time with us. We will see you back here
on Amy and TJ soon enough, but will of course
continue to see you for the daily morning run. Well,
for now, I'm TJ Holt.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
And I'm Amy Roboch. Have a great day, everyone,
Hey, folks, A news anchor's wardrobe choices while covering the
LA fires has the Internet buzzing. Some of it's funny,
some of it's petty, some of it's uncalled for, but
it might be giving us a little more insight into
the anger, frustration, and pain people in LA are experiencing
right now. With that, Welcome to this episode of Amy
(00:25):
and TJ Rolds. We debated about getting into this conversation
at all, but what we're talking about here is a
guy that we know pretty well, you better than I,
but a former colleague who's choice of jacket and how
he was wearing it has everybody talking, So please do explain.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
So, the anchor of ABC World News tonight, David Muir,
who often jumps on planes and heads straight into breaking
news tragedies. I've been on those planes with him, and
I've stood right next to him covering a lot of
this sort of news story, and I can attest to
(01:04):
the fact that he is a consummate professional. He takes
his job very seriously, and he works very hard not
just to get the information right, but to present it
in the best way possible. And look, he was covering
the wildfires, and there were hurricane force winds described as
almost tornatic. So he sinched his jacket, as many of
(01:29):
us have done in the field and on the set,
to create a cleaner line.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Wait, ropes, this is what we're talking about. This guy
is covered, this is the story, guys covering the fire,
people losing homes. He's standing on camera, he turns. People
see that he's sensed his jacket, and they're saying, he's
only doing this as a matter of vanity. That's where
we are. We're not talking about this stuff. You're doing
the studio. But I'm saying I'm trying to establish here
(01:56):
that that he is being gripped for that reason. Should
he be or should he not be, we'll discuss. But
that's what it is. He got busted sinching his jacket.
And when people do that, they're usually trying to do.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
What they are, trying to create a slimmer line. Look,
television is one of those. It's a visual medium. And
so yes, I have cinched my jacket. Have you sinched
your jacket?
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Not once ever, and certainly not in the field. But
I've had plenty of people suggested, and I've had wardrobe
folks come out Janetta. If I'm wearing a sweater, She'll
even offer to do it. But no, I've never thought
about it.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
I'm actually I'm trying to think if I ever did
it in the field. I definitely, one hundred percent did
it on set. So you've got a boxy jacket, you
have like.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
A sweater, yes, and it looks a little large.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
So I've had and I had a stylist and she
would come up behind me and she would since I
actually used a clothespin or a hairpin to since it.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
I didn't do it. Someone did it for me.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
I don't believe I've ever done it in the field,
just because I've never had people to even check things out.
I really thought about it, and I think maybe that's
part of it too, just the thought that went into
the look of something. When you have a massive tragedy
unfolding behind you, with flames, people's homes, belongings, lives being lost,
to even be concerned about how you look seems like
(03:16):
a slap in the face to people who are dealing
with the worst possible situation. So I understand the anger
and the fact that they're hurling it at him because
they by seeing that clothespin. It looks like his focus
was on himself instead of on the story he was covering.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
That's understandable. And the son of Ozzy Osborne, Jack Osbourne,
was somebody who got a lot of attention for posting
this on Twitter on X and he said, nice jacket, bro,
glad you look nice andce felt with those clothesline pegs
while our city burns to the ground. That's kind of
the sentiment. Some people are being a little funnier about it.
(03:55):
But if you're out there in LA and you don't know,
if you're on the run and you see this guy
on TV and it comes off, there's no question that's
it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of somebody
who is going through what they're going through in LA.
There's no doubt about that.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Now.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
I'll go further here in a second and possibly defend David,
but there is no I can't explain that away. I understand,
I get it. I got to understand that frustrations, but
he lives out there and this guy is wait a minute,
you're worried about that. Everybody has those jackets on, they're big,
they're boxing. I don't know, now, what did ABC say
(04:33):
or excuse me that there is no official statement. There
is no official statement, I should make that clear, but
there are rumblings out there about it why he might
have done this.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Well, as as we've pointed out, you know, anytime, especially
when it comes to a news organization, no one's going
to put their name behind it because they'd be fired
if they were talking to press about people who they
work with or for. But insiders inside ABC have reportedly
given quotes to different news outlets or different entertainment outlets
(05:04):
saying that yes, he's a combination of Zoolander meets Anchorman
and that you're seeing the real David when you see
his vanity on full display. He didn't mean for you
to see it because he turned to reference burning massive
flames taking over a home, and when he did the turn,
you could see the clothespin. So they were kind of saying, yeah,
he's been exposed something we've all known for a very
(05:26):
long time, and now you all get to see it.
So yes, people absolutely taking the opportunity to then say
how they really feel about him or what they really
think this means, and what people are seeing is actually
what they've witnessed for years.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Look, some give you a more idea of what's out there. Now.
That quote I gave you was from the Twitter or
that tweet we still come tweets.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Yeah, but it's X but we can say they tweet.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
It still tweets. David Muir of ABC cares more about
how he looks than reporting the news. Mainstream media are scum.
So a lot of people are obviously taking advantage or
taking the opportunity to take shots at the media. And
it's a lot of left and right kind of stuff
out there. But I mean, he gave him some low
hanging group.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Donald Trump Junior even jumped in saying, David Muir, the
supposed moderator of my father's presidential debate who instead chose
to be a participant, is so vain that as people
in Los Angeles are losing everything, he used clothes pins
to make his fake fireman's jacket more form fitting. Sick
And then he went on to say, David Muir, Oh,
is this is someone else? David Muir is a national
(06:32):
embarrassment that's from someone else, But people are piling on,
jumping on and well hurling shots at him.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
ABC News reporter David Muir's top priority during the fires
in California was apparently looking good on TV. No matter
how much you hate the media, it's not enough. These
people are disgusting the other. The frustration is understandable. I mean,
(07:00):
upset at the governor, at the mayor. They're upset at
then upset of the firefighters. Those guys are out there,
guys and gals are out their busts and their butts.
But there's frustration to seeing your life go up in flames.
Or a guy like Billy Crystal. I'm just only saying
him because I remember he's talking about forty six years
in a home and it's gone. Now you have people
(07:23):
who have lost everything. They don't have anything except whatever
they ran out of that house with. And for a story,
it just stings. It has to hurt to some degree.
But the perspective might be missing if you're just reading tweets,
the perspective might be missing in that oftentimes, and I
don't know if he does travel with a producer or
(07:44):
even a wardrobe person sometimes whose job is you might
be looking at your phone getting the latest, or on
the phone, or looking at notes or doing something and
people are pulling and plugging things onto you. The mic
and the IFB and all these things. You don't even
know what's happening to you, and someone could have made
the decision to just let me do this with the jacket.
We just don't know. But just a little context. The
(08:07):
guy works his butt off. If you don't like what
he did, find it just this is a lot to
be piling on to.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
This, That's what I was trying to allude to.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
I guess starting it out just with the perspective of
knowing him personally and knowing how hard he works and
how much he does care about the stories he reports on,
and also making note of the fact that this is
a visual medium.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
And I was telling you, you.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Know, look when we're when we're in tragedies and I'm
out in the field, and I have certainly covered more
than I even care to remember of the worst possible
types of stories. You know, I ended up slicking my
hair back in a pony tail because I didn't want
to have a distracted like hair style like you know
you where I was aware at least, and I think
most of us are aware that heavy makeup and overdone
(08:55):
hair and worrying about your wardrobe when you're talking about
mass shootings or a yes. In this case, a massive
wildfire taking lives and homes and property and destroying people's.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Entire communities.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
You would hope that journalists wouldn't really be thinking too
much about how they look in that moment and care
more about getting crucial, potentially life saving information to folks.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
And at least, I mean, you think about this.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
If you're home, you've had to evacuate, you don't know
what's going on, you can't get close to your home.
A lot of these folks who are directly affected are
watching the TV NonStop. They are glued to their televisions
trying to see if they can get a glimpse of
their community, their street, their friends and neighbors, and their homes.
So they're watching and looking at every detail, trying to
(09:41):
see if they can get an idea of what's going on.
And then they see someone who is supposed to be
there helping get that information to them seemingly care more
about his presentation and how he looks than what's actually
going on behind him.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
And I think you know, and I understand that, and
I know you have to take great care.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
I have taken great care as a journalist to not
seem as though I'm concerned about how I look in
that moment. We all look different on the scene of
these sorts of tragedies than.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
We do on the set.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
On the set, we've got hair and makeup and nice
suits and fitted clothing. But when you're out there, it's
just a very different environment.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
But you use several words that I would love to unpack,
as you hate when it's said, but you said, we
said the word seemingly care more about use the word
if an acre is worried, more about how they look,
the seeming and the worry that coming off, as if
you care about your appearance, versus caring about your appearance
(10:44):
every single person. Every place I've ever been, I've been
out there in the middle of a tornado or something,
and in the mids's about to go live, and I
walk past the live truck and I'll still kind of
look in at the reflection out of the window, just
to see if my jacket is on straight or something.
So the idea that people are even in the midst
of a tragedy or about to anchor a main evening broadcast,
(11:10):
wouldn't give a damn about how they look. It's just
unreasonable now to what degree should they care is the issue,
and then to what degree should they come off like
they caring is then a separate issue. But of course
he has to pay attention and care about how he
looks before he goes on TV. But if you saw
a guy your house is on fire, and you see
(11:31):
a guy over there with a mirror brushing his hair,
and the I'm doing all this before he goes on
and reports about your tragedy, that's gonna pis you off.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Yeah, that makes total sense. Yeah, it was funny when
you said that.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
I remember I have because when you're out in the field,
you don't necessarily well, you don't have any of the
normal sorts of either the people to help you make
sure you're not disheveled. So yeah, I've actually looked in
the lens of the camera before I went on because
it's slightly reflective to make sure that my hair wasn't
sticking out crazy, especially if there are high winds. I mean,
I've reported on too many hurricanes to even count, And yeah,
(12:06):
you've got winds whipping and rain in your face, Like,
do I have mascara like falling down my face? Is
my hair like in a crazy place? Because or like
literally the reflection of the camera lens, just to make
sure that I'm not looking disheveled.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I was telling you this.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Someone once said, don't ever apologize for just doing that
one last check to make sure you don't.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Have something sticking out or something looking.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
Strange, because if you do, this is the truth, folks
at home who are watching will go, oh my god,
look at her hair or what's going on with her face,
and they won't hear anything you said. And so I
was told, just make sure your appearance isn't a distraction.
And so that was kind of the lane I tried
to stay in when I was covering these things. It's
not about looking good or looking glamorous in any way,
(12:55):
or looking like thin, whatever you want an adjective you.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Want to put on there.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
It was about not being a distraction. And that was
kind of what I always thought about before. I want
to just make sure nothing I'm wearing or nothing about
my appearance is distracting.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Good or bad. Actually, because there have been some distractions
that people have done, like that's not a good jacket.
Why does she go with that? Like intentional?
Speaker 3 (13:20):
They'll be just appropriate.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Clothing is a huge part of it.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
You don't want to wear a bright color when you're
talking about something sad like. There were all these things
that go into consideration when you're covering things that are
heavy and tough and scary and important.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
You don't your.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
Clothing choices, how you wear your hair, how much makeup
you have on. All of that is considered before you
get in front of the camera.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I do want to give credit to this. I don't
know who this young lady is. I should looked at
a profile. Maybe she was a comedian, but her response
in a tweet about was oh my god, leave David
and you're alone. His felt figure and Miss America hands
maybe the only sliver of happiness people see amongst the
horrific devastation of this catastrophe. Soften the blow, people, soften
(14:13):
the blow.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
I mean, that's some humorous perspective there. And the one
thing I you and I have discussed this, the one
thing that did not ring true for me that I
didn't love seeing as a potential response or defense, was
that somehow using the clothes pin to tighten his jacket
helped with the audio that for me didn't really ring true.
(14:38):
I have been in plenty of hurricanes, I know you
have done a lot of tornado coverage in your days.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
I've never ever pinned a jacket because of the wind.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
You could have maybe I've actually had like a necklace
or something kind of bang on the you know that.
Can you take that necklace off because it might hit
the microphone? Certainly there are things to conc with the microphone,
and a wind guard.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Is really usually good enough.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
So we all, when we're all reporting in whether of
any kind, our amazing audio guys and gals will give
us a windscreen and you put that on top of
the mic, or if you're holding a mic.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
It wind what was the wind gonna it is gonna
be flapping too loud?
Speaker 3 (15:22):
That is that is simply a response that did not
ring true for me, and that was I think unfortunate
because that seemed like a desperate attempt to explain away
something that we all know the truth to. He wanted
his or someone wanted his jacket to not be his
boxy for whatever reason.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Let me ask you directly, if he asked for it
to be pinned for that specific reason, should we still
be taking him.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
I don't think he deserves the hate he's getting. I mean,
I'm looking at some of the stuff on Twitter, the
new face of being a douche. The next one, as
I've been saying for a while now, David Muir is
a douche. I don't think that that is fair or
appropriate in any way, and especially from people who've never
actually had to be on television every day where your image,
(16:16):
your looks are constantly being critiqued or acknowledged, and so
you might have a hyper awareness about that, and so
he wanted his jacket to fit better.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
That is what I believe happened.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
And both of those things can be true. That you
care about your appearance while also caring about the story
you're doing and busting your butt on the story you're doing.
Those both two things can be true. But we have
to I still will acknowledge. It looks bad now, understand
for people, especially those out there who are going through
that hell. I understand, you know what.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
I wanted to share something that I experienced very early
on in my career, and it's not exactly the same situation,
but it makes sense to me. When people are living
through the worst moments of their life, that's all they're
thinking about, that's all they care about, and that's understandable.
(17:12):
I was in bond court and we were there covering
and waiting for a specific prisoner to come out. He
was accused of something horrific. But when you're in bond court,
there are a lot of people, family members even, who
are there waiting to see their loved ones come out
because they've been accused of a crime. We were in
(17:34):
the hallway, a bunch of US reporters and cameramen waiting
for this particular person to come out, and you know,
someone had told a joke about something that happened the
night before, and we were laughing. We were just in
our own world and we were walking into the bond court,
into the courtroom, and I was laughing at something that
someone else had said. A woman stood up and said,
(17:56):
you think this is funny, You think this is funny.
And I think she believed that we were there for
her or her loved one, and she actually jumped on me,
knocked me to the ground and almost threw a punch
in my face, except for the bailiff was able to
pull her out and the judge got involved, and anyway,
it was fine. I didn't get hit, but with my
heart was pounding, I was just like, how dare this woman?
(18:17):
And then I stepped back to think about it in
her mind, in her world, we were laughing when she
was in pain. We weren't being considerate of where she
was in her life, in her world in that courtroom,
and it was lost on me in that moment I
wasn't on camera. But still sometimes as journalist we don't
(18:37):
realize just how impacted people feel when they see something
that we're doing that we don't realize is somehow, in
some way offending them.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
I get that. I'm just going back to David and
the offense. Is it still an insight told if nobody
knew about it, Is he still disrespecting the community, if
he made sure he looked a certain way or the
(19:10):
way he wanted to look on TV? I don't know
the answer to that. I'm just saying those are the
things we are now debating in the that Like you say,
to your point, that woman in that room, these folks
in California, this is this is my time, in one
of the worst days of my life, and whatever's going
on in your world right now, you need to be
respectful because I'm having the worst day than you are.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
And you know what I think that's what it is.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
You nailed it, and we all see things through our
own lens. David sees things through his lens that he
wanted to be presentable, He wanted to look his best,
even though obviously people were dealing with their worst. People
who are the victims of this fire are seeing things
through their perspective, through their lens, and they it's it's
(20:00):
unthinkable to them that someone could even be considering their
appearance in the middle of all of this chaos, in
the middle of all of this tragedy, and that's unthinkable
to them. But it's I think we can all give
each other a break if you acknowledge that this is
about perspective, It's about your frame of reference, and the
fire victim's frame of reference is understandably vastly different than
(20:24):
David or any other reporter's frame of reference.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
They have a job to do.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Well, folks, stay with us here when we come back, Robes,
I'm going to ask you this, would this story be
different if that anchor was a woman? All right, Welcome back, folks.
(20:50):
Here discussing what is being discussed in many circles, in
many places on social media, on the Internet, and very
much a fiery way. A lot of people talking about
ABC News anchor David Muir was seen on air having
the back of his fire jacket, since people thought he
cared more about his appearance than the people who are
(21:11):
losing everything there, but just was a bad look at
the time. But robe we were talking about this, I
think in an elevator earlier today, what if this story,
what if that had been a woman, a female anchor
out there covering the same story, the same spot, doing
the same thing, and that had been seen on the air,
You think this would be any different.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
I do think it would be different.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
I do think that people almost it sounds awful, but
I think they expect women to be vain in a
way that they don't expect men to be. And I think,
you know, from makeup to hair, you know, hair and makeup,
that's something that women do to present themselves in a
more glamorous way or in a more beautiful way. So
to since your jacket would make sense because that's also
(21:54):
you doing kind of the same thing as putting lipstick on,
putting you know. Someone even pointed out in their criticism
of David that he looked like he had a bunch
of makeup on, So no one would say that to
a woman.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
No one would say that.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
To a woman who was covering a tragedy and had
mascara on. I've even noted, you know, I've seen women
reporting on very serious stories with massive false eyelashes on.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
No one points that out.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
So I do think if we're all being honest, I
don't think that people might have pointed it out, and
it might have been a little something. I don't think
we would have seen anywhere near the level of hate
and vitriol that we have seen leveled or hurled against
David if it were a female.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Even possible this would have been a non story if
it was one.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
I think it is possible.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
I think it is absolutely possible that it would be
a non story if it were a woman. A man
seeming to be vain for whatever reason is far more
offensive than a woman appearing to be vain.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
That's my opinion.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
What do you think, Well, I've I couldn't get my seeing,
you know, seeing the story. Honestly, It's never crossed my
mind to do anything like that. When I've been out
in the field my entire career. I've not just reportings
at times, I've anchored tons of stuff all over the
world and been on the air on anchor type situations
(23:21):
in coats, and I have never crossed my mind to
do that. I've been in fire jackets, I've been in
I've never thought to do that. That's fine, So it's
hard for me to understand. I guess some difference in vanity.
You know this about why I'll go out in the
field no makeup, they would always offer. I'm like, nah,
I'm just going to even going on the air if
(23:43):
I'm just doing a story and not if I'm anchoring,
they'll put some powder on me. But if I am
just gonna step out and do a report that day,
I'm only going to be on a second on air
for a minute or so, no need for makeup.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
But you're you're the rarity because I have worked with
plenty of men in this business for decades, and almost
all of them wear makeup.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Well, I were make up when I anchor, So I'm
not trying to.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Say studio lights, studio lights, Okay, Yeah, I mean I
wear minimal makeup in the field, minimal because of that
very reason.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
But to that point, it always seemed to me that
there was I work in TV. So I understand seeing
a guy where they're putting on a lot of makeup,
putting on his own makeup or caring about his makeup,
or in the mirror with his hair is just the
normal thing to me. So I don't think anything of
it when I see guys doing things like that that
(24:34):
come off as vain.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
I don't think because we've seen it for so many
years in newsrooms and out in the field. I've witnessed
it myself now I like I have. Yeah, I'm with
you in the field. I I don't think I've ever
thought about pinning a jacket or any of that sort
of thing. However, I have had in the studio. More
(24:56):
often than not, it's someone else who says, can I
pin this jack for you? Because they're seeing that it
doesn't look right or it's not hanging correctly. I mean, look,
when you see mannequins when you're walking down the street,
the outfits look so amazing, right, and then you turn around,
you get into the store, and you see they all
have been pinned because it looks better, It looks it
(25:17):
makes you look thinner, it makes you look more athletic.
You know, that is what you see in all of
the storefront windows. None of those clothing almost always are
just hanging. They are pinned and designed to look and
fit a certain way.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
And so.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
I've had people offer to and do that for me
on the set, but in the field, I just don't.
I never had people. I wasn't important enough to have
people in the field with me. So perhaps if I
were in the field and I had a wardrobe person
traveling with me and they said let me pin this,
I'd probably say, okay, you know best.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
You're looking at it.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
You know. I've had them look at the camera and
then come around and say you need this. So that
very well may have been what happened with David. Someone
who he traveled with, who is responsible for him looking
a certain way he can't trust, yeah, and he might
not certainly could not be focused on that. I think
that's the criticism that instead of being focused on what
was happening, he was focused on how he looked.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
But it could be people.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
It could be that people around him were looking at
that for him and making that decision on his behalf.
But please just acknowledge that it was an aesthetic. It
was not about the audio. That's all I ask because
you know what, I think people know when they hear
something that's true, and they know when they hear something
that sounds like a phony defense. And that did sound
(26:36):
like a phony defense. Now it did not come from David,
to be clear, it came from a source, which yes,
I'll roll my eyes on that, but someone trying to
give another explanation other than vanity why that might have
been taking place.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
This story will be you've forgotten soon enough, but it's
in the cycle now, and not for no reason. I
get it. I mean, some of the stuff is silly,
and it's petty, and it's unnecessary. Some people add a
little levity to it. I don't mind that necessarily, but
a legitimate frustration at seeing something like that is understandable.
Can't take any issue with anybody who who's wondering if
(27:15):
their home is still standing and looking up at this
gallo TV and that's just a bad look, period, point blank.
But we don't know exactly what happened. We don't exactly
know who asked for it and why and all that.
But even if it was to make it look a
little better, I.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Think it's hard for a lot of us to know
how the sausage is made. You know that people say
you don't want to know. You know, this is common practice.
It just is behind the scenes. And when you are
at a certain level and you do have enough people
around you, you do trust their calls sometime in those
moments about what's best and what's not best. And you
(27:53):
know what, I love something you pointed out earlier, which
was if no one had ever seen the clothespin, if
you had just seen his fitted jacket, it wouldn't have
been a story, it wouldn't have been an issue, it
wouldn't have been anything. I don't believe anyone would have
picked up on or pointed out. So it was just
(28:13):
the turn and the exposure of what was really going
on in the back that created the look that you
saw in the front. And that's unfortunate. And I you know,
you google David Muir and the first thing you see
is David Muir fire jacket, you know. And it will
go away and it will get better, and we understand
what headlines are. But I just wanted to say that
(28:37):
it is a shame because I do think that he
is an excellent reporter and puts himself out there, puts
himself in plenty of and has put himself in plenty.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
Of situations, works really.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
Hard, tirelessly to make sure that people understand what's going on,
to bring people the latest and greatest and important information.
So I just I would hate for him to somehow
appear as though he has no value, no journalistic integrity.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
That's not fair.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
This is something that was pointed out and something that
people can have their feelings about. But I would hate
to think that one moment defines an entire career or
just puts into question someone's integrity. I think that's the
hard pill to swallow for him and for people who
have worked alongside him, that's not fair. I would just
(29:30):
say it's not fair to take one moment or just
the fact that he is yes concerned about how he
looks in front of the camera, and that's true. And
I cared about how I looked in front of the camera.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
And every single person you have ever seen on TV.
Folks cares about what they look like on camera. Even
if you look up at them and say, wow, they
look a mess, they still cared about what they looked like.
Every single person. If this is bothering you that much
about these clips, y'all couldn't handle so many other stuff
behind the scenes that goes on as you don't see,
(30:02):
so many tricks and this and to make this look
better and prop this up and ooh, it's crazy behind
the scenes, and we're we're.
Speaker 3 (30:11):
You know, David Muir is a human being, and I'm
sure he will not be doing this again.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
And I'm sure every single reporter who has.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Seen this happen thinks, WHOA, I am absolutely not going
to do this again.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
I mean, I've stood on boxes to be taller.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
You know.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
There are lots of things you do for an esthetic
on the television so that one person isn't super short
and one person isn't super tall, Like there are lots
of things that you don't see at home that we're
doing that if you actually took a we call it
a dirty shot, but a shot of all the equipment
and all the things that are happening, the bounce lights
that are on you to make you look better, you know,
so that you don't look harsh. I mean, there are
(30:48):
all sorts of tricks and aesthetics that are going on
behind the scenes to make the reporter look more pleasant,
perhaps even in incredibly unpleasant circum stances.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
But folks out there in California. I mean, we are
keeping an eye on it, We're thinking about you constantly.
This is a historic tragedy at this point. And hats
off to all those reporters out there who are in
some very dangerous situations. We've seen, I guess Nick Watson
one that's gotten a lot of attention, almost getting hit
by debris while he was out there reporting. And they
are just those hot spots. These things can pop up anywhere,
(31:24):
so even it's not a fire right next to him,
they're still under threat. Always applaud the reporters who put
themselves in harm's way and covering these stories.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
And they are the lens by which people see what's happening.
They are when you hear these stories and when you
see these stories, and these reporters who are bringing them
to you, and not just the reporters, the cameramen, the
audio camera people. I shouldn't say cameramen, photographers, maybe that's
a better way to put it. The audio personnel, the producers,
(31:51):
the live truck operators, the SAT truck operators, all of
the people who who are there away from their families,
working crazy long hours. It is to make sure that
all of us who aren't there can see what's happening.
It inspires people to open their wallets, It inspires people
to help, It sends prayer chains a buzz. You know,
(32:11):
all of this information is super important and you have
to have those folks on the ground bringing it to you. Yeah,
they may not be saving lives directly, of course, but
they are helping get really important information to people who
need it the most and also letting all of us
know how we can help, and that's all incredibly important
in times like these and tragedies like these.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
So, folks, we always, as always, we appreciate you spending
some time with us. We will see you back here
on Amy and TJ soon enough, but will of course
continue to see you for the daily morning run. Well,
for now, I'm TJ Holt.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
And I'm Amy Roboch. Have a great day, everyone,
Hosts And Creators
Amy Robach
T.J. Holmes
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