ABC News is starting 2025 with a series of embarrassing headlines involving some of its biggest stars.
“World News Tonight” anchor David Muir was scorched by critics in a viral moment during Wednesday's broadcast while reporting from Pacific Palisades in the aftermath of the attack. Devastating forest fires That swept through Southern California.
Wearing a yellow flame-resistant jacket with the ABC News logo on the front, Muir tried to show viewers the burning ruins of buildings behind him. But what caught most attention was what was behind his back.
As he turned away from the camera, clothespins could be seen pulling Muir's jacket close to his lower back, providing him with a slimmer appearance to viewers.
Muir mocked ABC News for making his firefighter's coat more suitable for wildfire reporting
ABC News' David Muir has been criticized on social media because he was caught wearing clothespins to make him appear thinner while covering the devastation caused by wildfires in Southern California. (Screenshots/ABC News)
Jack Osbourne, the television personality and son of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, discovered the makeshift fashion accessory and called out the “World News” anchor on Channel X.
Osbourne's reaction was: “Nice jacket, bro. Glad you're looking nice and thin with those clothesline pegs, while our city burns to the ground.”
Other critics slammed Muir as “pathetic” and “narcissistic” as he faced accusations of prioritizing his own appearance while reporting on the widespread devastation in Los Angeles.
Moyer wasn't the only ABC star to be portrayed in an unflattering light. Sunny Hostin, co-host of The View, has been at the center of social media chatter after her husband reportedly faces medical fraud charges in a wide-ranging federal lawsuit filed last month.
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Emanuel “Manny” Hostin and his practice, Hostin Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, have been named among more than 180 defendants in a major RICO case filed in New York on December 17.
according to Daily MailHostin and the other defendants allegedly receive “kickbacks” to perform surgeries and issue fraudulent bills to the insurance company that provides services for Uber, Lyft, and other taxi companies. The lawsuit alleges that Hostin received an “investment” interest in the Empire State Ambulatory Surgery Center while receiving a “steady stream” of patient referrals in return.
'The Show' star Sunny Houston surgeon husband accused of insurance fraud in sweeping federal lawsuit
Two Houston patients named in the lawsuit were allegedly treated in January 2023 after being involved in “low-impact” collisions that were said to have caused only minor damage, “no more than soft tissue injuries,” but both underwent arthroscopic surgery.
Hosten's lawyer told the Daily Mail that his client denies all of the allegations and called the suit “a sweeping, rambling and baseless lawsuit by an insurance company on the verge of bankruptcy.”
Dr. Emanuel Hostin, husband of The View co-anchor Sunny Hostin, has been charged with insurance fraud in a wide-ranging federal lawsuit filed in New York last month. (Diya Dibasobil/Getty Images)
In the wake of her husband's legal troubles, comments made by Sunny Hostin herself have resurfaced.
Hostin spoke about her husband's work on “The View” last month while discussing the health insurance industry in the wake of the crisis. Assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
“Doctors are suffering because of big corporations too, doctors who want to do good, like my husband,” Houston said She said to her colleagues. “(He) performs surgery on someone even though they have no insurance, and then has to sue health insurance companies to get paid for the work he trained his whole life to do.”
Additionally, comments Houston made in March 2023 about the seriousness of insurance fraud went viral, as she discussed potential charges against former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, who was serving a prison sentence for tax fraud.
“The prosecutors say, 'Oh really? Well, how about we add some more fraud charges to you?' “And they're talking about him threatening insurance fraud, which I would say could get him 20 years in prison, so that's a death sentence.” He said at the time.
While some headlines have created fodder for critics, others point to drama within the Disney-owned network. ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl has reportedly been “targeting” colleague George Stephanopoulos' spot as host of the Sunday morning news program “This Week” following the network's broadcast. $15 million settlement With President-elect Donald Trump.
Page Six reported this week Karl, who is the rotating host of “This Week” with Stephanopoulos and Martha Raddatz despite Stephanopoulos' name in the title, “wants the show, and sees (the Trump settlement on ABC) as an opportunity,” according to sources.
An ABC News spokesperson denied Karl's stated ambitions, telling Page Six, “This is not true. They have a friendly and mutually respectful relationship.”
Page Six reports that ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl (left) is “pursuing” George Stephanopoulos' job as lead host of “This Week.” (Paola Lobo/ABC via Getty Images)
The settlement, which was finalized late last month, stems from comments Stephanopoulos made during an interview last March with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-C., when he was He claimed ten separate times Trump was found “liable for rape,” when the jury in the E. Jean Carroll civil case decided he was liable for “sexual assault,” which has a distinct definition under New York law.
First up, Stephanopoulos He was defiant In the face of Trump's lawsuit, he told CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert that he “will not be persuaded to stop doing my job because of the threat.”
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“Trump sued me because I used the word 'rape,' even though the judge said that's what actually happened. We filed a motion to dismiss,” Stephanopoulos told Colbert.
Ultimately, a judge denied ABC News' request to dismiss Trump's lawsuit and settled with the president-elect in December before entering into a costly trial. The settlement decision was reportedly made by Disney CEO Bob Iger.
President-elect Trump and ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos settled out of court after Trump sued the Disney-owned network for defamation. (Getty Images)
In addition to paying Trump's legal fees, Stephanopoulos and ABC News also had to issue statements of “regret” as an editor's note at the bottom of an article on the ABC News website. “ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret the statements regarding President Donald J. Trump during an interview George Stephanopoulos conducted with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC's This Week on March 10, 2024,” the memo says.
Liberal pundits from rival networks, including CNN, NBC and MSNBC, accused ABC News of “bowing” to Trump and setting a bad precedent.
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The drama that has unfolded at ABC News in recent weeks comes on the heels of intense scrutiny of the network's election coverage, which was overseen by Disney co-chairman Dana Walden, a close friend of Vice President Kamala Harris (an ABC spokesperson previously said Walden does not influence editorial decisions. ).
ABC News faced backlash over its handling of the presidential debate between Trump and Harris after Muir and his co-moderator Lynsey Davis repeatedly fact-checked Trump while allowing Harris to go unchallenged.
