David Muir on 'defining childhood' moment that changed everything for him

Muir felt a "gravitational pull" to journalism, and grew up idolizing anchors that came before him. Then, one moment changed everything

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David Muir has a lot of feathers in his cap—he's one of the most trusted faces in American journalism as the anchor of ABC World News, with cutting-edge experience on the frontlines covering the world's biggest events.

This year, he was also on the 2025 Time 100 list, with a tribute from mentor Diane Sawyer. While many hail Muir's professional accolades as trailblazing, not as much is known about his private life.

But in an interview with PEOPLE, Muir, 51, talked about his childhood and life out of the spotlight—including the one moment that changed everything for him.

He revealed that he grew up idolizing anchors that came before him, and it's no surprise that he always felt an "incredible pull" to journalism and the exposure it offered.

"I was a nerd who felt this gravitational pull to the news, starting back when I was 12 years old," he said.

"I remember being outside, playing with the rest of the kids in the neighborhood and being the only kid who would go inside when the local news came on, and then watching Peter Jennings, who I thought was sort of the James Bond of the evening news, the globetrotter," he added.

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A defining moment in David Muir's life

Pursuing journalism felt natural to him, and he recalled how he started "writing letters to the local reporters" in his town. They responded with offers for internships.

"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," he said. "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."

Looking back, he touts this as a defining moment in his life. "I dove headfirst and I was just lucky enough to have people around me who weren't turned off by the kid intern," Muir explained.

Muir graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in journalism, and began his career working at local news stations in Boston and Syracuse.

Today, Muir has developed a massive fan following across the world.

He noted how he loves "when people come up to" him and "interact".