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David Muir attends the TIME 100 Gala© Getty Images

David Muir breaks social media silence amid time away from ABC News to share new update

Whit Johnson has been hosting World News Tonight in his stead

Ahad Sanwari
Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
July 7, 2024
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David Muir is enjoying a rare bit of time off work, taking a few days away from the hectic schedule that comes with being the host of multiple ABC News shows.

The 50-year-old journalist is the lead anchor of the primetime news show World News Tonight, plus the network's 20/20 with Deborah Roberts, and is also their on-call breaking news anchor.

However, over the past week, it seems like David's been making the best of summer months with a well-deserved vacation, with GMA Weekends co-anchor and World News Tonight weekend anchor Whit Johnson taking his place.

David kept off social media during his holiday though, finally breaking his month-long absence with a photo earlier in the week to mark the 4th of July, spent with his trusty pal Axel, his dog.

He shared a snap of himself and Axel both lounging on striped beach chairs, presumably at their lakeside home in upstate New York, judging by David's t-shirt, which read "Ithaca is GORGES."

The anchor paired his casual tee with a blue baseball cap, and simply captioned his photo: "Happy 4th!" quickly getting a few appropriate emojis in response from close friend Kelly Ripa.

David Muir shares a photo from his 4th of July day off with his dog Axel on Instagram© Instagram
David shared a photo from his 4th of July day off with his dog Axel

Fans responded with comments like: "To the most gorgeous man who delivers nightly news," and: "Happy 4th to you! In my house we've missed seeing you this week, but I said aloud 'I hope David's having a nice week off, he deserves it'," as well as: "Happy 4th back to you! Man-o-man have I missed your reporting this last week, but delighted you are relaxing."

MORE: David Muir's personal message to good friend Kelly Ripa's family on important day

The TV star purchased his home on Skaneateles Lake, New York, for a whopping $7 million, according to records filed with the Onondaga County Clerk’s office in 2019. 

WORLD NEWS TONIGHT WITH DAVID MUIR - David Muir anchors, "World News Tonight with David Muir,"  weeknights, 6:30pm ET on ABC© Getty Images
David has taken the past week off "World News Tonight," with Whit Johnson hosting instead

Built in 1890, the 4,300-square-foot property boasts six bedrooms, two kitchens, three bathrooms, and a stunning fireplace, offering up an ample amount of space for David and Axel.

MORE: David Muir's rugged look in new vacation photos with rarely-seen family cause a stir

David usually keeps his private life away from the spotlight, but will share glimpses into his lake life upstate with Axel, involving a lot of restoring their estate, boat rides on calm waters, swims, and time with David's family, who all live nearby.

david muir cuddling dog axel© Instagram
The anchor has been spending time with his beloved dog Axel as well

During a 2020 appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan (as it was then known) with Kelly and Ryan Seacrest, David couldn't help but gush over having Axel in his life, and recalled how much support his dog had been during the first wave of the pandemic that year.  

SEE: Inside David Muir's ultra-stylish living room at his $7million New York pad

"I actually do think that pets are like the unsung heroes because they still want to chase the birds," he remarked, adding that they served as an easy distraction during the nationwide lockdowns. 

David Muir seen shirtless alongside his dog Axel near their $7 million Skaneateles Lake home© ABC
"I actually do think that pets are like the unsung heroes..."

"This dog particularly — [he's a] bird dog, squirrel dog, frog dog. If you find a frog in the pool he's good for like three hours just staring at the frog. But, don't you think they've helped us during this time?"

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