Steve Kornacki was the breakout star of the U.S. presidential election, covering the results for days on end with seemingly little to no sleep and one hard working pair of khaki pants.
The 41-year-old captured the hearts of millions while dutifully parsing out the vote tally from his touch-screen map and was just included in People Magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive 2020 list this week.
The NBC News and MSNBC national political correspondent exclusively chatted with DailyMailTV’s Thomas Roberts about his newly minted ‘map daddy’ status and, of course, his #KornackiKhakis.
Election hero: Steve Kornacki exclusively chatted with DailyMailTV’s Thomas Roberts about his newly minted ‘map daddy’ status and, of course, his #KornackiKhakis
Kornacki became the undisputed hero of the election cycle for his non-stop coverage of the race between President Donald Trump and now President-Elect Joe Biden.
No matter what time of day viewers tuned into MSNBC, there stood the Massachusetts native breaking down a zillion different vote numbers county by county and state by state.
‘I got out of there truly more tired than I’d ever been in my life,’ he revealed to DailyMailTV, adding that after many sleepless nights in a row he as ‘finally caught up’ on his rest.
Steve’s coverage not only endeared those on internet but also celebrities like Leslie Jones, Arianna Huffington and even Chrissy Teigen publicly praised his ceaseless work ethic and ability to streamline an enormous amount of information for viewers.
Overnight fame: Steve Kornacki was the breakout star of the U.S. presidential election, covering the results for days on end with seemingly little to no sleep and one hard working pair of khaki pants
‘I got out of there truly more tired than I’d ever been in my life,’ he revealed to DailyMailTV, adding that after many sleepless nights in a row he as ‘finally caught up’ on his rest
More than anyone else, it seems the ‘map daddy’ himself is probably the most shocked about his overnight viral fame.
Steve said he didn’t even know that he had become an internet sensation until several days after election night because things were so chaotic.
‘I would say just because it was Tuesday night, Wednesday, it was so frantic and I would say probably Thursday somewhere around there, I started getting texts from friends and family, ‘ he recalled.
He added: ‘I was very surprised, taken aback by it.’
‘I would say just because it was Tuesday night, Wednesday, it was so frantic and I would say probably Thursday somewhere around there, I started getting texts from friends and family, ‘ he recalled. ‘I was very surprised, taken aback by it.’
During Steve’s wall-to-wall election coverage, the hashtag #KornackiKhakis began trending with fans becoming obsessive about his sartorial choice of slacks.
Internet sleuths identified his pants as the Modern Khaki style in palomino brown from Gap, which retail for $59.95.
The week after the election, a spokesperson for Gap said there was a ‘dramatic increase in online traffic’ and within one day, the company ‘saw around 90% unit sale increase online’ for Steve’s khakis.
Some social media users even called for Gap to officially rename Steve’s chosen style as the ‘Kornacki Khaki’ while others urged the brand to collaborate with him.
Sartorial sensation: During Steve’s wall-to-wall election coverage, the hashtag #KornackiKhakis began trending with fans becoming obsessive about his Gap pants which started selling out online
Even Steve’s tie choice went viral. But, by the end of his coverage, the TV host’s on-camera style had taken a beating, forcing him to finally retire his go-to neck tie.
Kornacki shared a picture of his old standby on Twitter before it was tossed in the bin, giving a whole new meaning to the term ‘wardrobe staple.’
The numbers guru told DailyMailTV that he purchased the tie six years ago for $19.99 and sounded surprise to see how it ‘held up.’
‘I got my money’s worth on that one,’ he laughed. ‘Yeah, it was getting all tattered and frayed in the back before the election.’
Like many people Steve said he’s ‘paranoid like everybody else’ and didn’t want to take unnecessary trips to the store during the pandemic.
Neck tie of the moment: Even Steve’s tie choice went viral and, at the end of the coverage, his ‘map daddy’ style had taken a beating, forcing him to finally retire his go-to neck tie
‘I got my money’s worth on that one,’ he laughed. ‘Yeah, it was getting all tattered and frayed in the back before the election. I said, well this is the tie I got to go with here. So I put a couple of staples into the back of it and it held up’
‘I said, well this is the tie I got to go with here. So I put a couple of staples into the back of it and it held up,’ he quipped.
Beyond his viral fame and single handedly making khaki pants cool again, Steve says that the 2020 election was unlike any other in history and one he, frankly, never wants to repeat.
‘It was a pandemic election and the country is so torn apart,’ Steve said, reflecting on the once-in-a-life-time experience. ‘So you know what? I hope we never get one like this, I’ll be honest.’
‘But it was it was fascinating to watch, certainly,’ he added. ‘I do feel lucky that I got to play the role I did and I certainly have appreciated all the kind words people have had for me.’
For fans that can’t get enough of Kornacki (or his khakis), they can catch him across NBC News and MSNBC – and he will be back the map for the midterm elections.
‘It was a pandemic election and the country is so torn apart,’ Steve said, reflecting on the once-in-a-life-time experience. ‘So you know what? I hope we never get one like this, I’ll be honest. But it was it was fascinating to watch, certainly.’