TJ Holmes and Amy Robach Defend David Muir After Clothespin Backlash

T.J. Holmes, Amy Robach and David Muir Getty Images (2)

TJ Holmes and Amy Robach are defending David Muir after he received 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 perspective on the incident during the Friday, January 10 episode of their podcast, “Does This Make Me Look Fat?”

Muir, 51, came under fire when viewers spotted the clothespin cinching his jacket during a live cross on Wednesday, January 8 and accused him of caring more about how he looked on TV than the natural disaster he was reporting on.

Holmes defended Muir against that accusation, claiming the news anchor may not even have been aware of the existence of the clothespins.

“The perspective might be missing if you’re just reading tweets. The perspective might be missing in that, often times — and I don’t know if he does — travel with a producer or even a wardrobe person whose job is — you might be looking at your phone, getting the latest, looking at notes or doing something, and people are pulling and plugging things onto 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’ve made the decision of ‘Let me do this with the jacket.’ We don’t know.”

Holmes said that despite the use of clothespins, he believed Muir is incredibly hard-working.

He continued: “But just a little context, the guy works his butt off. You don’t like what he did, fine. It’s just a lot to be piling on.”

However, Holmes conceded it did look bad for a TV journalist to be caught worrying about superficial aspects when reporting on an event where people have lost their lives and homes.

David Muir ABC

“The idea that people — even if the midst of a tragedy — about to anchor a main evening broadcast wouldn’t give a damn about how they look is just unreasonable. Now to what degree should they care is the issue and to what degree should they come off like they’re caring is then a separate issue, but of course he has to care and pay attention to how he looks before he goes on TV,” Holmes said. “But if your house was on fire and you see a guy over there with a mirror brushing his hair doing all this before he goes on the air and reports about your tragedy, that’s going to piss you off.”

Meanwhile, Robach admitted that when she was reporting from the road, she usually made a concerted effort to not appear too “glamorous” for this reason by keeping her hair and make up simple.

“I have taken great care as a journalist to not seem as though I’m concerned about how I look in that moment,” she said. “We all look different on the scene of these sorts of tragedies than we do on the set. 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.”

Robach also defended Muir against the heated backlash he’s been receiving and said she doesn’t believe he deserves it.

“I don’t think he deserves the hate he’s getting… I don’t think that is fair or appropriate in any way — and especially from people who’ve never had to be on television every day where your image, your looks are constantly being critiqued or acknowledged so you might have a hyper-awareness about that,” she said.

Check the LAFD website for local wildfire alerts and click here for resources on how to help those affected.