ABC Anchor David Muir Embraces His 'Daddy' Status

ABC anchor David Muir has been a journalistic light and trusted voice. In a time when the press is under relentless attack, he remains convinced – as he told People Magazine in a recent interview – that "journalism is more important than ever."

Muir has been the lead anchor of ABC's "World News Tonight" for more than a decade, and he's been a resounding success at the job; People noted that he is "the most-watched news anchor in America," again and again at the forefront of the day's most major stories. Now that he's in his 50s, Muir has a new label to embrace: one of the sexy mature men the internet likes to call Daddy.

People Magazine profiled Muir's "Daddy" status, asking him what he thought of the thirst that social media users reserve for him.

"People will forward TikTok videos, but only because they are laughing out loud at them and making fun of me and saying, 'When did you become Daddy?'" the 51-year-old said.

"So I don't know whether that happens when you hit 50 or what, but I'll take it as a compliment, I think," the journalist went on to say. "So maybe it's lost on me, but I guess Daddy's better than the alternative."

Fans may wonder if the connotation really is lost on Muir. Speculation – or perhaps projection, or maybe even wishful thinking – has had him linked with both men and women in the past, Comingsoon noted, including fellow ABC journalist Gio Benitez and aussieBum founder Sean Ashby.

Comingsoon noted that Kate Dries (once deputy editor of Jezebel) hinted at having been Muir's girlfriend at one point, but that claim – if meant in earnest – was never verified and Muir never confirmed nor denied it.

"Despite his high-profile career," Comingsoon relayed, "the news anchor has kept his personal relationships largely private."

But the anchor did detail a few personal details in his chat with People. Muir may have hit the half-century mark a while ago, but he still feels youthful.

"I'd say my most comfortable element is being outside, covered in mud like this weekend," Muir related after having enjoyed a Memorial Day break. "It was pouring rain and I loved every second of it."

Muir went on to exalt at the hours of lakeside relaxation he enjoyed with his dog Axel, which he described as "a German short-haired pointer."

"When you're out there on the lake, smelling the same air that you smelled when you were on your BMX bike back when you were a kid, there's something really fueling about that and connected about it," Muir told People. "You just feel like you're home again."

He also recalled his early days in journalism, when he sought out opportunities at local news outlets.

"I began interning, carrying all the equipment – and back then the equipment was huge and heavy – and I'd jump into the back of the cruiser and I was honestly the happiest kid," Muir recounted. "Most kids were looking forward to summer vacation and I couldn't wait to get into the back seat of that cruiser all over again."

"All these years later, I look back on that as a defining moment in my life," Muir said. "I still feel like I'm that kid racing into that local newsroom all those years ago."