The 2022 Winter Olympics are the most muted games in memory. I know there are many die-hard ski fans and ice-skating fans who are enjoying it, but here in America, the coverage is pretty bad and everything is happening in the dead of night. It would not surprise me if this was the lowest-rated Olympic games in modern television history. NBC has the rights to the Olympics (they’ve held the rights for years) and you would think that there would be emergency meetings happening at NBC corporate, trying to figure out how to make the Winter Olympics into more of a ratings-generator. You would think that NBC would take any good press they could get, and they would beg their NBC-associated celebrities to hype the f–k out of the games. Instead, NBC has shut down Leslie Jones because she’s massively enthusiastic about the Olympics and she likes to do commentary from her home and post it on social media. She’s a hype woman for the Olympics, and she’s not even being paid!
Just a few days into the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, actress and comedian Leslie Jones says she’s rethinking her much-loved video narration of all the action in Beijing. In an early-morning post on Instagram, Monday, Jones wrote that she was wondering if the Beijing Games should be “my last Olympics I live tweet.”
“I know, another celebrity bitching,” Jones, 54, wrote. “But I’m tired of fighting the folks who don’t want me to do it. They block my videos and they get folks who think they can do it like me. And I’m tired of fighting them.”
Jones didn’t specify who she was referencing when she said people didn’t want her to film the videos, though she had tagged Olympics broadcaster NBC in an earlier post. She also added, “I love the athletes and they love me doing it. And I know ya’ll love it. But now it’s gotten too hard. And no one is fighting for or with me. Soooo I guess I’ll leave it to the professionals. But thank you for all the love. #uptoyallnow.”
In the caption of her post, the star wrote, “Leslie Jones does not stay anywhere I’m not welcomed. #uptoyallnow.”
The former Saturday Night Live star has been recapping and live-tweeting during the last few Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Starting last Thursday, Jones, who has more than 1.1 million followers on TikTok, has posted dozens of videos commenting on everything from the figure skating competitions to the skiing events.
Leslie posted that on Monday, and then Monday evening, there were no Twitter posts about the games (although she did post on other platforms). As it turns out, after trending all day, NBC got in touch with Leslie and told her that she could keep doing the commentary and they wouldn’t try to take down her videos. NBC told the NY Times that the issue “has been resolved” and that they were not the ones taking down her videos (I guess they’re blaming the IOC, which might be correct). A spokesperson for NBC told the Times: “She’s free to do her social media posts as she has done in the past. She’s a super fan of the Olympics and we’re super fans of hers.” NBC felt the pushback and I’m glad they relented.
Leslie Jones does it stay anywhere I’m not welcomed. #uptoyallnow pic.twitter.com/jark0Joc0N
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) February 7, 2022
Just 15 years old damn! @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/YIhLqmRQ8x
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) February 7, 2022
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
WEST HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – NOVEMBER 02: Comedian Leslie Jones arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Apple Original Films’ ‘Finch’ held at the Pacific Design Center on November 2, 2021 in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 641304738, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Leslie Jones, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon 
WEST HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – NOVEMBER 02: Comedian Leslie Jones arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Apple Original Films’ ‘Finch’ held at the Pacific Design Center on November 2, 2021 in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 641304743, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Leslie Jones, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon 
WEST HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – NOVEMBER 02: Comedian Leslie Jones arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Apple Original Films’ ‘Finch’ held at the Pacific Design Center on November 2, 2021 in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 641304746, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Leslie Jones, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / AvalonncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcG1jZoB0e8ueqqWhlZS3sLrErJanmpOUtrSr06uwoqaXlMGwq8Glppyjj6murLG%2Bnaawpo%2BixqC7y7KkqaGTlLCwucyepa2Zoq6st7XDnqasZw%3D%3D