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/ late-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/ 36 years old) - The new kid in town (that is, when I first wrote this post seven 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/ 46 years old) - 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/ 52 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/ 42 years old) - 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.
- Matt Brickman (WNBC-4/early-30s?) - Yet another weatherman, but straight. Local Jersey boy who got established in Minneapolis before returning to New York last year.
- Maurice DuBois (WCBS 2/ 54 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/ 55 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. He left WABC for hometown Cleveland's WEWS (also an ABC affiliate).
- John Chandler (WNBC-4/ 40 years old). Has spent the last six years at the station.
MORE CUTE THAN SEXY
- Sheldon Dutes (WNBC-4/ mid-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/ late-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 (NY-1/ 51 years old) - He's been with cable new station NY-1 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/ late-40s) - He was also at NY-1 for a long time, but not as long as Pat Kiernan. And in 2018 he left the station to join a PR firm.
- Joe Torres (WABC-7/49 years old) - 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/ 38 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/ 46 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/ 46 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/ 40 years old) - 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 (former NBC correspondent/ 33 years old) - 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 but then returned to local news in Houston four years later. He manages to exude a sexy swagger even when wearing a dorky ski hat.
- 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/ 57 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/ 47 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 bare chested on-camera.
- Don Lemon (CNN/a very youthful 54) - 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/51 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/ 47 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/ 52 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.
- Boris Sanchez (CNN/ early 30s) - The fifth chosen from CNN's roster. Nicely plucked eyebrows.
- Sam Brock (NBC Nightly News/ 30-ish). Young Sam came to my attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seeing him usually made hearing the latest bad news about the virus a little bit easier to take. With or without a mask.
- Colin Jost (SNL Weekend Update/ 37 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".
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. :)
Posted by: Tom Grasso | 06/03/2013 at 09:41 AM
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
Posted by: SHARON WEINTRAUB | 01/19/2014 at 10:19 AM
Thomas Roberts is so sexy...
Posted by: Kris | 01/24/2014 at 02:22 PM
It's frustrating that he rarely seems to get much airtime.
Posted by: Rob | 01/24/2014 at 03:07 PM
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 !
Posted by: Marko Antonio Mollika | 06/21/2015 at 11:35 AM
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
Posted by: Marjory | 07/11/2015 at 09:43 AM
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.
Posted by: Rob | 07/11/2015 at 09:47 AM
David Muir is so professional and hot!!!!
Posted by: Larry lantelme | 08/11/2015 at 08:58 PM
X-----X SHELLDON XXXXXX
Posted by: bob | 02/06/2016 at 12:46 PM
How could you leave PIX11's John Muller out of the mix? Or Fox 5's Robert Moses?
Posted by: Joe Panarello | 09/10/2016 at 06:05 PM
Good Morning America's/ABC News' Gio Benitez, gay/married /hunky /plenty of shirtless pics on Internet
Posted by: Steven | 11/09/2016 at 10:04 PM
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 ?
Posted by: Patrick | 01/10/2017 at 12:12 PM
Sheldon is sooo HOT
Posted by: Bob | 07/01/2017 at 05:01 PM
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.
Posted by: Tiny Hickd | 05/25/2018 at 07:14 PM
Sheldon.....Mr D
Posted by: bob | 05/23/2019 at 12:27 AM
Mr. Roberts has suddenly landed in local television here in ATL. Anchoring the 6p.m. broadcast on the CBS affiliate, we’re enjoying the local news more than ever before. Wouldn’t mind running into him at a restaurant or mall downtown. Always enjoyed his reporting skills when he was at the network, he seems under utilized updating us on traffic tie ups, or local drug busts. Lucky us.
Posted by: Johnjon | 07/31/2019 at 08:48 AM
I think Harry Cicma is hot
Posted by: Jeff | 11/01/2019 at 11:59 AM
I was wondering if the long circulating rumors about David Muir being gay are true ? I see pretty women hanging out and off of him all the time on the internet and tv....like Kelly Ripa (who is married).I mean,he must be gay or her husband would not tolerate that closeness with such a hunk and his wife,...unless he was deemed no threat,....right ?
Posted by: Konstantina | 12/29/2019 at 12:13 AM
Don’t forget Ray Villeta!
Posted by: John Brady | 05/10/2020 at 04:29 PM
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks Jeremy Diamond is crazy hot.
Sam Brock reminds me of another of my newsman crushes - WBZ-TV (Boston) meteorologist Eric Fisher (used to be on The Weather Channel). In between Fisher, morning news anchor Liam Martin and PM news anchor David Wade, 'BZ has quite the stud lineup itself. Even more so before they laid off former morning news anchor Chris McKinnon (who sets off my gaydar, though he hasn't commented on his marital or relationship status that I know of). He's now a reporter for WHDH (formerly NBC and CBS, now independent).
Here in the Detroit area the cutest guys in local news are Derek Kevra (WJBK/Fox 2 meteorologist) and Brian Abel (WXYZ-TV 7 weekend anchor and reporter) - both straight and married, I think, though Abel used to ping my gaydar. Among former Detroiters, definitely Mike Huckman, who was at WXYZ during the '90s and then went on to CNBC (he's now out of broadcasting). He's gay and married to one of his former 'XYZ coworkers, and going gray hasn't taken away any of his cuteness.
Posted by: Chris Charles | 09/13/2020 at 06:58 PM
I saw that Phil Lipof is coming back to New York City. He will be on NBC 4 starting October 13.
Posted by: Mark Chelchowski | 10/06/2020 at 07:03 PM
Jeremy Diamond is a total BABE!! So HOT!
Posted by: Josh | 11/14/2020 at 07:33 PM
David Muir tops the list! So Sexy!!
Posted by: Josh Marquez | 11/14/2020 at 07:35 PM
Jeremy Diamond is adorable and is going out with The beautiful Ali Vitali
Posted by: Jean wood | 01/18/2021 at 12:46 PM
Why are all the cute gay men married
Posted by: Andrew | 08/03/2021 at 11:02 AM