Reporter back on-air after being mocked for ‘narcissistic’ LA fires telecast

A US news anchor has returned on screens one day after he was blasted for his “narcissistic” wardrobe while reporting on the front lines of the LA wildfires.

A news anchor has returned on-air one day after he was blasted for his “narcissistic” wardrobe while reporting on the front lines of the LA wildfires.

Viewers couldn’t believe it when David Muir, who hosts the US ABC program World News Tonight with David Muir, appeared in a live cross from the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades neighbourhood on Wednesday local time wearing a wooden peg evidently to pull back his flame-retardant jacket and cinch in his waist for a better fit.

Muir was mocked mercilessly on social media over the outfit detail, in which he was labelled “vain” for not having his “priorities” in order.

Even Jack Osbourne, the son of rocker Ozzy Osbourne, called Muir out on X.

“Nice Jacket Bro. Glad you look nice and svelte with those clothes line pegs, while our city burns to the ground,” tweeted Osbourne, who lives in LA.

ABC news anchor David Muir was reporting on the terrifying fires in LA on Wednesday...

... when fans noticed his jacket was being pulled back by a clothes peg.

“Another talking head proving that vanity is far more important than the news,” read another scathing tweet.

Muir has since returned to screens on Thursday local time, wearing the same bright yellow jacket. However, this time it was completely unzipped and noticeably loser as he broadcasted from the same neighbourhood.

According to Page Six, executives at ABC were “embarrassed and horrified” by the gaffe, but it is nothing out of the ordinary for Muir.

Muir resurfaced on screens with his bright yellow jacket conspicuously looser on Thursday.

Multiple insiders pointed to his Instagram account, which features the newsman regularly sharing photos of himself in form-fitting T-shirts to show off his physique. It seems his go-to uniform when reporting out in the field is a tight black tee.

“His narcissism is quite large in the sense of this kind of thing,” one source told the outlet before comparing Muir to his media cohorts.

A source described Muir as Zoolander meets Anchorman. Picture: Instagram

The fit anchor’s known for posting pics in tight T-shirts. Picture: Instagram

“I like David, except for this part of him. Anderson [Cooper], [Chris] Cuomo wear all the [muscle shirts], but they would never wear this [during a wildfire].”

Another insider directed Page Six to Muir’s Instagram feed, saying of the jacket gaffe: “It’s pathetic. All flexed muscles and posing. He’s actually Zoolander meets Anchorman. He forgets he is the face of ABC News, not Abercrombie & Fitch!”

For Muir, the show must go on although he has yet to publicly addressed his now-viral fashion faux pas.

Some viewers, however, don't see the big deal with Muir’s use of wooden peg as many news anchors before him also use the wardrobe trick.

“It’s to keep it from flapping around in the wind,” insisted one viewer of the wooden peg, with another commenting, “I don’t like him much but that’s a good hack.”

Originally published as Reporter back on-air after being mocked for ‘narcissistic’ LA fires telecast