Who Has 'The Sexiest Beard in TV News?' People's Sexiest Newsmen Make Their Picks for the Title
PEOPLE’s picks for the nation’s Sexiest Newsmen are in — and so are theirs!
We asked our crème de la crème selection of journalists, columnists and pundits which of their male counterparts they give high marks for style, swagger and smarts. Here’s what they had to report.
Van Jones, 49, author and CNN commentator:
“That’s such an unfair question,” Jones says, “because everyone’s gonna pick Anderson Cooper!” (Spoiler alert: We definitely picked Anderson Cooper.)
Jones ended up going with another fellow Sexiest Newsman for for the win, however. “Jake Tapper has some real swagger to him,” the CNN commentator says.
Anderson Cooper, 50, host of AC 360 on CNN:
If everyone picks Anderson Cooper, who does that leave for Anderson Cooper to pick? Umm, apparently no one.
“I can’t really think of an answer,” he confesses.
Ari Melber, 37, host of The Beat on MSNBC:
For Melber, it was a toss-up between the familiar — fellow MSNBC anchor Craig Melvin — and the more elusive Ta-Nehisi Coates, a national correspondent for The Atlantic.
“I would say Craig Melvin because he’s so classy and funny and always has the right suit and the right look but doesn’t take himself too seriously,” Melber says.
For more on PEOPLE’s Sexiest Newsmen — including our complete list — pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday
“But then I’m thinking big picture, like, what about Ta-Nehisi Coates? He’s brilliant. And his is successful but not caught up in it,” Melber says. “He declines most interviews. He rarely does television. He’s that sexy intellectual who’s just doing his work and not sweating the rest of the business.”
Jim Acosta, 46, Senior White House Correspondent for CNN:
This was a softball question for Acosta, who was quick to reply:
“Two words: Wolf. Blitzer. That is the sexiest beard in television news.”
