David Muir Got The Last Laugh In Rumored Feud With GMA Host (& Reigns Supreme Over His Rivals)

There is little place in TV news for anyone besides David Muir. If there ever was a feud between Muir and George Stephanopoulos, the "ABC World News Tonight" anchor can firmly put it to rest. While his evening show is soaring in the ratings, Stephanopoulos' "Good Morning America" has lost viewership to NBC's "The Today Show." Muir's advantage over the former ABC lead has become so solidified that he has seemingly turned his competitive streak elsewhere. And he's winning at that, too.

Fans may agree that Muir and Tom Llamas have their good looks in common but, when it comes to popularity, the "NBC Nightly News" anchor doesn't stand a chance. In the 2024-2025 season, Muir led Llamas by nearly 2 million viewers, raking in an average of 8.47 million compared to his 6.54 million. The distance is even greater between Muir's viewership and Tony Dokoupil's "CBS Evening News," which brought in an average of 4.04 million viewers in the same period — less than half of Muir's numbers. 

While many factors affect viewership, Muir's ratings generally highlight his professionalism and dedication to traditional journalistic form. "David Muir reminds me of the old school anchors. I like him," an impressed Reddit user argued in July 2026. Even those who believe the TV evening news environment has changed for the worse still defend Muir. When a Redditor argued that he doesn't come close to the likes of Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, and Tom Brokaw, another asked: "Name one better anchor now."

While he has never addressed them, rumors about David Muir engaging in power plays behind the scenes abound. The supposed beef between Muir and George Stephanopoulos, in particular, is well-documented. When Muir took over the legendary Diane Sawyer's evening news anchor seat in 2014, Stephanopoulos was named anchor chief, making him responsible for breaking news and special events. The two journalists shared Sawyer's responsibilities somewhat amicably — or at least so it seemed — until 2021, when Stephanopoulos threatened to leave ABC over Muir after the upstart took over his special coverage. "This was always going to blow up at some point," a source acknowledged to CNN at the time. Things escalated to the point that Disney executive chairman Bob Iger was drafted in to mediate the situation. 

Fortunately, "They found a way to have two big stars and build towards the future." But Muir has undeniably come out on top. Even so, both he and the network at large have reportedly grown increasingly concerned about the competition. After Tom Llamas took over "NBC Nightly News" in June 2025, he helped strengthen viewership. Llamas' impact has been particularly impressive when it comes to younger audiences, a key demographic, which gives good reason for ABC and Muir to worry. "There are a lot of nerves in the hallways at ABC right now," a source dished to the Daily Mail in July 2026. "Younger viewers find Tom more conversational and relatable, with a distinctly modern feel." However, others denied that Muir is concerned. "Muir just climbed to the top of the Statue of Liberty, 305 feet to the torch, for a 24-hour broadcast on America's 250th anniversary. Where are the other guys?" one reasoned.