ABC News’ David Muir Ripped for ‘Playing Dress Up’ in Vain Moment While Covering L.A. Wildfires

David Muir’s job is to cover the headlines, but the ABC News anchor made some of his own on Wednesday while reporting on the deadly wildfires in Los Angeles.

The World News Tonight host was giving an update from a fire-ravaged street in what appeared to be a fitted flame-retardant jacket when the camera caught a glimpse of the clothespin Muir was using to create the svelte silhouette.

The internet immediately branded the anchor “pathetic” and “narcissistic” for the fashion faux pas. And on Thursday’s show, Megyn slammed Muir for “playing dress up” in the midst of a natural disaster.

The Controversy

Muir was reporting on the ground from the rubble in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Wednesday when his secret styling trick was revealed. 

X/JackOsbourne/ABC News

While pointing to the devastation around him during a stand-up hit, the anchor briefly turned around and showed off a clothespin cinching his yellow reflective jacket emblazoned with the ABC News logo. “As you can see here behind me,” he said as the clamp came into view.

The Criticism

Social media had a field day with the clip, and Megyn said clothespin isn’t the only issue with the Muir’s wardrobe. “First of all, he is wearing a fake fireman’s jacket. Why is he pretending to be a fireman,” she asked. “This is something that my little boys did when they were still in the single digits… That is not something that the host of World News Tonight for ABC News broadcast network should be doing live from a disaster scene. It is not dress up.”

Megyn said there was no reason for Muir to wear that on-air. “There is no need to put David Muir in a yellow jacket with the fireman’s reflective stripes on it,” she explained. “He is surrounded by ABC News crews, by ABC news trucks, by ABC News photogs, producers, lighting sound guys. You can’t see them… but, trust me, there is a semi-circle on the other side of David Muir that is probably a couple dozen in number.”

As such, Megyn said it is all about optics. “It is for show. He is an actor on screen. That is what is happening there,” she said. “And the clothespins just put a period on that sentence. He is an actor who is worried about his own vanity and beauty on camera. God forbid you think David Muir might be a little boxy in the waist.”

In her view, this sartorial slip is but the latest miscue for Muir. “His little pretend fireman role coupled with his ‘is my waist looking skinny enough?’ vanity is too much, and we saw his vanity on full display at that [presidential] debate,” Megyn concluded. “He is in love with his own face, waistline, and opinion, and it shows. He has disgraced and discredited himself here and ABC News really needs to move on.”

You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 979 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.