Millions of people have been working from home for weeks thanks to social distancing, but not many have wound up in the spotlight for a fashion faux pas like the one from Good Morning America's Will Reeve. The GMA reporter's broadcast on April 28 went viral not due to his skills as a reporter, but rather because his Zoom setup at home caught what he was wearing from the waist down, and his pants definitely did not match his suit jacket. In fact, he wasn't wearing pants at all!
Will Reeve, a.k.a. GMA's pantsless wonder, was wearing shorts that happened to be just in frame as he contributed to Good Morning America. Fortunately, Reeve has laughed off the fashion gaffe, which many Good Morning America viewers may be able to relate to. How many people haven't relaxed their work wardrobes in the age of social distancing? Reeve addressed being caught without his pants on Good Morning America with some work-from-home etiquette tips:
I'm doing fine! I'm just here in my home, set up for another day of work like millions of Americans who are on video calls all the time now. And a headline reminder for anyone who's using Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, anything with a camera -- make sure you frame your shot. [laughs]
Will Reeve was seemingly dressed for a normal day of work while giving his update, although the video notably wasn't framed to show his full body. If anything, I'm guessing the shot of his shorts has guaranteed that Reeve will at least be careful about his framing, if not determined to always wear both halves of a suit for future GMA broadcasts! Honestly, his reminder about framing is probably going to be more useful than a suggestion to always video chat in full business attire.
Will Reeve previously addressed going pantsless not too long after he was caught wearing shorts, sharing a social media message along with an emoji to show that he's not upset by the mistake. He explained that his wardrobe choice was because he was "trying to be efficient" by getting ready for his "post-GMA workout a little too soon." He also stated that he was getting back to work, and wearing pants while doing it.
In his video message on etiquette (released on April 29), Will Reeve added a personal note:
On their website, Zoom recommends for your work-at-home setup some well-lit areas, minimize distractions, be quiet, be in a quiet area, and also get dressed fully. And that is something that I didn't quite listen to. On a personal note, I just want to say I try to take life seriously but not myself. So I've had a good laugh at this, but I don't want anyone to think that I don't really respect and love my job. I've had a lot of fun and I know everyone else has too. And I'm a lousy camera operator.
While Will Reeve was happy to laugh at himself and his mistake in wearing workout shorts with half a business suit, he was clear that he respects his job. This was plainly a mistake rather than a gag, so kudos to Reeve for rolling with the punches and addressing the incident head-on. Honestly, he might have been mocked a lot more if he didn't decide to laugh at himself!
Check out the full video of Will Reeve addressing his pantsless broadcast, posted on the Good Morning America Twitter:
In a month that already saw Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos share some very serious news with viewers, some pantsless shenanigans from Will Reeve provided some levity to start the day. Besides, it's not like Reeve is the only reporter who ever unintentionally showed too much in the background of a video chat. Who can forget the BBC reporter whose family crashed an interview back in 2017?
You can see more of Will Reeve (although perhaps not more of his skin) and the rest of the Good Morning America team when new episodes air every morning at 7 a.m. ET on ABC. For some primetime viewing options now and in the not-too-distant future, be sure to check out our 2020 spring premiere schedule and our 2020 summer premiere guide.
