New York's Sexiest News Anchors & Reporters

When I first moved to New York in 1979 I watched the CBS affiliate's local news and was drawn to Rolland Smith (right) and John Stossel (long before he went over to the dark side at Fox News).  Nowadays my exposure to news broadcasts comes from the eight TV monitors I see at the gym while I do cardio, providing me the opportunity to take in many hunky talking heads at once.  For this post I've narrowed it down to two dozen who turn my head - five of them are openly gay.  (Please note that this post was originally published in 2013 and I've tried to keep it current since then, with additions, and mentions where my choices are no longer working in New York.)  

 

NEW YORK'S FINEST

• Steve Lacy (Fox 5/mid-40s?) - Straight from central casting, Steve looks like the straight twin of MSNBC's Thomas Roberts (see below).  He took over evening anchoring duties at the beginning of 2013.  Actually, his photos don't do him justice. 

 

 

 

 

• Rob Schmitt (WNBC 4/mid-30s?) - The new kid in town (that is, when I wrote this three years ago; in fact, he's no longer working in New York any longer), Schmitt was hired away from LA's CBS affiliate in the summer of 2013 and anchors Channel 4's 12 noon newscast.  A little more dashing than Steve Lacy, he has Thomas Roberts' (CNN) good looks. 

 

 

 

 

• Phil Lipof (WABC 7/ early-40s)  - Sadly, Phil was hired away by the ABC affiliate in Boston (WCVB) in the fall of 2013.  Still, I'd like to keep him on this list, at least for a while, as an honorary member.  Although he wasn't a weatherman, he seemed to be the guy WABC liked to send out into bad weather.

 

 

 

• Mike Woods (Fox 5/48 years old) - Woods has been with Fox 5 since 2001. What makes him stand out is the fact that he enjoys flaunting his body and has done a number of on-location weather reports shirtless.  (Something fans of The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore have always hoped for.)  Openly gay, I bumped into him at the Monster after I wrote this post and told him of the honor I bestowed upon him (he was very personable).  And in November 2014 he received another honor when People Magazine named him the sexiest news anchor.

 

 

 

 

 

• Raphael Miranda (WNBC 4/early 30s?) - Another gay weatherman, Raphael's profile on WNBC's website mentions that he's gay and has a partner.  However, I rarely see him on the air.  When he first joined the station a few years ago I'd chuckle because his presence seemed to unnerve the sports anchor, Bruce Beck.

 

   

 

• Maurice DuBois (WCBS 2/51 years old) - He has the sexiest name of any on this list.  DuBois has been with WCBS since 2004; prior to that he was with NBC's New York affiliate, WNBC, for seven years.  (The first photo is current, the other is from the mid-2000s.) 

 

 

 

• Rob Powers (WABC 7/49 years old) - Bright eyes and a great smile.  I like this photo because it looks like someone poked a finger up Rob's ass just as the photo was snapped.

 

 

MORE CUTE THAN SEXY

• Sheldon Dutes (WNBC 4/early-30s?) - He's a general assignment reporter who regularly appears on WNBC's morning show Today in New York.  He possessed a boyish charm, enthusiasm and a great smile.

 

 

• Chris Glorioso (WNBC 4/early 30s?) -  Probably the same age as Tom Llamas, he looks like Llamas' fair-skinned twin.  Both also have a serious demeanor and are somewhat stiff on camera.  But while Llamas is now an anchor, Chris is an investigative reporter.  

 

 

 

• Pat Kiernan (NY1/47 years old) - He's been with cable new station NY1 since its inception in 1992 and still exudes the same boyish charm.  He's the person I wake up to in the morning.

 

 

• John Schiumo (NY1/early 40s?) - He's also been on NY1 for a long time, but not as long as Pat Kiernan.

 

 

 

• Joe Torres (WABC 7/late-40s) - As he's gotten oldler, his face has gotten puffier and more wrinkled, like a shar pei dog, but he still retains his boyish charm.

 

 

 

• Harry Cicma (WNBC-4/34 years old) - Relatively new to the New York market, he's been a sports announcer on WNBC for a couple of years (and also does on site reporting during bad weather).  He has a very approachable persona and reminds me of some of the cute, eager phys ed teachers of my youth (including the flat-top).  

 

 

THE STUDS OF NETWORK NEWS

Since the TV networks are headquartered in New York, I've stretched the boundaries of this post and included some of the "big guns".

 

• David Muir - (ABC/41 years old) - Muir, and his great shock of hair, took over anchor duties on World News Tonight from the unwatchable Diane Sawyer in Sept. 2014, and it's boosted the newscast's ratings.

 

 

 

 

• Richard Engel - (NBC/42 years old) - NBC's dashing Middle East correspondent.  There was speculation about his sexual orientation but he married in May 2015 and he and his wife are expecting a child (thanks to one of my readers who brought this news to my attention).

 

 

 

• Tom Llamas (ABC/mid-30s?) - Very boyish, with a little bit of peach fuzz above his lip and somewhat imperfect teeth.  Of Cuban heritage.  When I originally wrote this post Llamas was on NYC's WNBC.  Then in 2014 he moved to the NBC News division and in the winter of 2015 he moved over to ABC where he anchors World News Tonight on weekends. 

 

 

 

• Jacob Rascon (NBC/around 30?) - Like Llamas, Rascon is another rising star.  He moved to the network in 2014 after spending time as a general correspondent for KNBC in LA.  Perhaps because he's still wet behind the ears there aren't many available photos that do him justice.  But he manages to exude a sexy swagger even when wearing a dorky ski hat.

 

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• Jeremy Diamond (CNN/late 20s?) - Diamond appeared on my radar in the spring of 2017 and is the youngest of the guys chosen for this post.

 

 

• Martin Bashir (ABC/ 53 years old) - Of Iranian heritage, Bashir is the oldest of the bunch here.  His most recent reporting job was with MSNBC, which he resigned from late in 2013 after making an unfortunate comment about Sarah Palin.  Before MSNBC he was an anchor for NBC News Dateline and ABC News.

 

 

• Thomas Roberts (MSNBC/42 years old) - Openly gay, there are also photos of Roberts shirtless on the internet, but unlike Fox 5 weatherman Mike Woods, he's never gone barechested on-camera.

 

 

 

 

• Don Lemon (CNN/a very youthful 49) - He's the shortest of this group, only 5'6".  He became a news story for a while in 2011 when he revealed he was gay.  He bares a striking resemblance to Pharrell Williams (sans hat).

 

 

• Van Jones (CNN/48 years old).  A commentator rather than a reporter or anchor, I've included him nonetheless by dint of him being so telegenic and sexy.

 

 

 

• Rick Folbaum (Fox News/45 years old) - Folbaum used to be an anchor on the Fox affiliate in New York.  He's sexy, in that uptight, married, right wing, I'll-meet-you-at-the-rest-stop, kind of way.

 

 

• Anderson Cooper (CNN/48 years old) - Then, of course, there's golden boy, Anderson.  Another newsman I'd categorize as being more cute than sexy, Cooper is known for his cute smile, beautiful blue eyes and disarming giggle.

 

 

Colin Jost (SNL Weekend Update/33 years old) - Finally, his inclusion may be a bit of a stretch, but Jost is too adorable to overlook.  After working behind the scenes as a writer at Saturday Night Live since 2005, Harvard graduate Jost took over anchor duties from Seth Meyers when Meyers moved to Late Night.

 

 

 

Two other posts you may like are "A Salute to Major League Baseball's Sexiest Players" and "The Aphrodisiac of Power: Sexiest World Leaders".

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Comments

[Tom Grasso]

So much eye candy in one post! I agree with so many of them. I had no idea Thomas Roberts was gay... openly or not! Never got that vibe from watching him and I have had a huge crush on him for a few years now. btw... Raphael Miranda is on NBC a lot on the weekends.

OK... I'm off to Google Thomas Roberts now. :)

[SHARON WEINTRAUB]

i LOVE TO WATCH RAPHAEL MIRANDA. HE IS PLEASANT, ELOQUENT AND EXTREMELY PLEASING TO THE EYES. HE IS DEFINITELY AN ASSET TO NBC. GET EXCITED WHEN HE DOES THE WEATHER. WILL ALWAYS BE A FAN. SHARON

[Kris]

Thomas Roberts is so sexy...

[Rob]

It's frustrating that he rarely seems to get much airtime.

[Marko Antonio Mollika]

Gio Benitez is sexy, but David Muir is far more hotter ! Rob Schmitt may be the sexyest and most handsome lead journalist on TV today at NBC.He is half German/half Italian with Hollywood good looks ! Benitez and Muir are on ABC and both are confirmed gay men, and this is a well known fact in powerful and influential gay circles in Manhattan's Chelsea and Greenwich Village gay neighborhoods. They are reportedly a couple and have been dating now over one year and often spotted together in Fire Island Pines, the exclusive gay male summer resort, and share a house there. They are also seen regularly out to dinner together in Greenwich Village. However, neither one is OUT publicly and they wish to keep their relationship and sexual orientations private.....and separate from their professional lives as journalists,......as it should be !

[Marjory]

Hi, you need to correct or update this post since Richard Engel is now married and he and his wife are expecting a child and you leveled him as gay. You shouldn’t put a label on someone just because they aren’t married and over a certain age. David Muir is awesome too

Thank you,

Marjory

[Rob]

Thanks Marjory, that's certainly interesting news - thanks for sharing it. Obviously, my gaydar malfunctioned. And it malfunctioned again with David Muir, as I was recently told he's gay (see the comment before yours) - and I had no clue! Wow.

[Larry lantelme]

David Muir is so professional and hot!!!!

[bob]

X-----X SHELLDON XXXXXX

[Joe Panarello]

How could you leave PIX11's John Muller out of the mix? Or Fox 5's Robert Moses?

[Steven]

Good Morning America's/ABC News' Gio Benitez, gay/married /hunky /plenty of shirtless pics on Internet

[Patrick]

Chris Glorioso is cute and sexy and gay, too ! He lives in New York's fabled gay neighborhood of Greenwich Village on Barrow Street; a tree-lined enclave, South of Christopher Street. He can be seen walking his dog in the evening with his long-time boyfriend Marko. Both are well known in the city and may be getting married this summer....so the rumors claim ?

[Bob]

Sheldon is sooo HOT

[Tiny Hickd]

I watched Peter Alexander in for Lester Holt tonight. I don't see him listed. I would like to see more of him. He is easy on the eyes, and he talks plain. I can't understand most of the fast talkers.