Awkward David Muir Moments That Were Witnessed By Millions

David Muir is the face of the news on ABC. He has been the host of "ABC World News Tonight" since 2014 and is invited into the homes of millions each night as an anchor. Muir often brings the biggest news stories in the world to ABC's audience. Over the past 10 years, he has established himself as a trusted voice that appears professional and put together when delivering the news. But even a news anchor can have their share of questionable moments. What do we really know about Muir? 

Viewers have long been taken by Muir's skillful manner when on the news as well as his piercing eyes and winning smile. In fact, Muir was named one of People's Sexiest Men Alive the same year he became the host of "World News Tonight" on ABC. He appears to have a friendly persona, even striking up a close friendship with "Live with Kelly and Mark" host Kelly Ripa. However, there have been a few times that his on-screen demeanor has been questioned and Muir may have revealed that he might not be as perfect as he appears to be.

In September 2024, David Muir co-moderated a debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris (with fellow moderator Linsey Davis, who was the worst dressed of the night!) The network chose to fact-check the candidates live during the debate, and some viewers thought this was the network's way of showing favoritism. Fans of Trump criticized the network and alleged that Muir was trying to sway the election with his line of questioning. Trump himself called the moderators biased and accused ABC of being dishonest, saying that the network should lose its license. He said during an appearance on "Fox & Friends" that the debate was "unfair" and was "a rigged deal" (via USA Today). This occurred after the first presidential debate in June 2024 between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, which took place on CNN and was not fact-checked in real-time.

In response, Muir referred to the controversy as "just noise" during an appearance on "Live with Kelly and Mark." He said (via The Daily Beast), "I believe it was our duty to ask the issues that Americans care about." Following the debate on ABC, rumors began to swirl that Muir and Davis had been fired from the network. Essports, a satirical website, first made the claim and was mistaken for truth by many readers on social media. It was only after the article made the rounds online that a disclaimer was put out saying that the article was untrue.

The year 2025 started with horrible wide fires breaking out over Los Angeles, California. David Muir and the ABC News team traveled to LA for live news coverage of the devastation. On the air, Muir wore a yellow flame-resistant jacket complete with the ABC News logo. But viewers were quick to notice the back of his jacket when he turned around to gesture to the damage around him. When Muir turned and showed a glimpse of the back of his jacket, viewers noticed that his jacket was held together with clothespins to make it appear less baggy and more fitting to Muir's shape. Muir was labeled as a narcissist for caring about his appearance while reporting on a tragedy. Even reality TV star Jack Osbourne took to X, formerly Twitter, to shade the news anchor for his clothespins. "Nice Jacket Bro," he wrote. "Glad you look nice and svelte with those clothes line pegs, while our city burns to the ground."

An insider told Page Six that staff at ABC was "embarrassed and horrified" by the fashion snafu. And a source pointed to David Muir's personality as the catalyst for what happened. "His narcissism is quite large in the sense of this kind of thing. I like David, except for this part of him. Anderson [Cooper], [Chris] Cuomo wear all the [muscle shirts], but they would never wear this," the source said. "Just look at Instagram," pointing to Muir's social media where he frequently shows off his physique and big muscles by wearing tight shirts and V-necks. ABC responded to the incident by saying, "David is solely focused on the people who are suffering and the heroic efforts of the firefighters — and that's what everyone should be focused on," in a statement (via Page Six.)

David Muir isn't the only recognizable face on ABC news programs, and there may be some tension between him and another long-time ANC anchor: George Stephanopoulos. Apparently the feud has been happening for a while, as the two are often going after the same jobs and assignments at ABC. The feud dates back to when both men were vying for the "World News Tonight" anchor position when the desk became available in 2014. Stephanopoulos expressed his desire and was thought to be a shoo-in, but ABC went with Muir. "Stephanopoulos is now too important a part of ABC's top-rated morning program 'Good Morning America' — by far the biggest profit center for the news division — to be moved to the evenings," journalist Bill Carter of The New York Times explained.

There has also long been a question of who is ABC's go-to person when breaking news drops. In 2021, Muir was given the role, much to Stephanopoulos' dismay. According to CNN, Disney CEO Bob Iger (Disney is the parent company of ABC) had to fly and meet with Stephanopoulos in person to resolve the issue after he threatened to leave the network. Muir was also tasked with election night coverage in 2022 after Stephanopoulos was given the duty in 2018 and 2020. When asked for comment, Stephanopoulos told The Daily Beast at the time that he had, "signed a new deal and that's what I'm focused on." (Stephanopoulos renewed his deal again with ABC in 2024, although the contents of the deal were not made public.)