The Internet’s Love for Steve Kornacki Has Led to Gap Donating 500 Pairs of Khakis for Giving Tuesday
MSNBC’s elections analyst Steve Kornacki announced on Tuesday that his signature celebrity ensemble had prompted The GAP to donate up to 500 pairs of khaki pants to the workforce readiness program at the Boys and Girls Club of America as part of the Giving Tuesday charitable effort.
Kornacki’s election wall magic, on-the-fly math skills, and dogged dedication to staying on air throughout the many late nights of 2020 vote made him something of an improbable Internet heartthrob and his strong Dad vibe look turned khakis into a hot fashion statement again.
Speaking with MSNBC host Ayman Mohyeldin on Tuesday afternoon, Kornacki explained how the donation came about.
“Last month, I spent a lot of time here at this board. Election week, I spent a lot of time here. There was a lot that surprised me during election week,” Kornacki said, as the big board showed five days’ worth of screenshots of him, in all of which he was wearing what appeared to be the same pair of khaki slacks. “There was something else I have to say that also caught me offguard as I was at this board election week and it had to do with my clothes. And more specifically my pants. Now, I think — this is election week, this is every day, you notice a pattern. To me, these are the standard — khaki pants, it’s what I wear, kind of what it was. But some people apparently did notice that week and that is something I can honestly tell you I never expected. It completely caught me offguard and among those who noticed was The GAP.”
“[They] got in touch with me and said, ‘We were so excited, we’d like to give you free khaki pants for lifetime,'” Kornacki added, as Mohyeldin broke in with a “Wow.”
“Now, I go through about one pair of pants every five or ten years, I don’t need much when it comes to that, also that’s much too big of a gift for me to be accepting,” Kornacki said, continuing. “I said thank you but no thank you and The GAP said, ‘Well, we have something else in mind,’ and that gets to what you’re talking about here today, Ayman, and that is Giving Tuesday.”
He then explained that, instead, the company will give 500 pairs of khakis to the Boys and Girls Club’s workforce readiness program and, in addition, that for every qualifying post with the hashtag #sharethegapdream between now and Jan. 1, 2021, The GAP will donate $10 to the Boys and Girls Club, up to $50,000 total.
“Very generous here from The GAP, very glad we could help facilitate this,” Kornacki said.
Mohyeldin then stood up and revealed he too was dressed like his MSNBC colleague.
“The nice thing about being an anchor, you don’t always have to show your pants like you do,” Mohyeldin said, showing off his khakis, “but I get to show some solidarity, Steve.”
“That maybe counts as a qualifying video, that could be $10 right there, Ayman.”
Watch the video above, via MSNBC.
