The Winter Olympics kicked off this past week. Are you watching? Call me un-patriotic or apathetic, but I’ve never been a fan. I also don’t get NBC on my antenna, so I’d be out of luck even if I were interested in watching. Thankfully, there are lots of people interested in the games, and Leslie Jones is doing her best to make the Olympics a little more fun.
The 50-year-old Saturday Night Live star added her own hilarious commentary to the summer games in 2016 and, thanks to her tweets, was brought on as an official contributor for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Prior to the games, NBC Olympics production and programming president Jim Bell said “Experiencing the Olympics through the lens of Leslie is unlike anything else. Her passion for Team USA is contagious.” Leslie is in South Korea now, where she’ll be interviewing athletes, providing more offbeat commentary, and, of course, tweeting.
Leslie warmed up for the visit and showcased her enthusiasm over the weekend, adding her (NSFW swearing) commentary to clips of skiing, speed skating, ice skating and curling.
My life lol!! pic.twitter.com/nZS6G0WlYR
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) February 9, 2018
Who got the baton!! Somebody explain this man!! pic.twitter.com/50tzHYmWNm
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) February 10, 2018
When the relationship is just over ! pic.twitter.com/PySJdvGQWg
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) February 9, 2018
Is it like marbles?’ I don’t understand I’m going to bed on that one!! @NBCOlympics @Olympics pic.twitter.com/2467bGZ9UW
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) February 11, 2018
If it’s any consolation, Leslie, I don’t understand curling either. Leslie has no shame about confessing her feelings for Team USA luger Chris Mazdzer. Chris won the silver medal in the men’s single luge event, the first American to win in the event, and also won Leslie’s heart.
Adding her spin to coverage of Chris’ run, Leslie marvelled, “Oh my god, you guys, seriously! Look at this! Look at the sleigh! It’s literally nothing, you guys. There’s no cushion…there’s, like, no brake on there.”
Omg!! pic.twitter.com/XFmlsxHiot
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) February 10, 2018
Chris was not only recognized for his skill on the course, but also for being easy on the eyes. In another tweet, Leslie noted, “He is fine as hell, I know that much. That’s for damn sure, Chris.” She added “Why don’t you luge on over here to my place?”
Just stop… pic.twitter.com/i6PSqSC6hY
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) February 10, 2018
Hey, you might think she’s coming off as a bit extra, but I love Leslie’s colorful commentary. And she’s not wrong about Chris. He’s definitely making me proud to be an American. I kind of want to watch the Olympics now. Leslie should get an interview with Chris! That would be the best.
SLAY ALL DAY!! @Olympics pic.twitter.com/DBljJGMOxQ
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) January 30, 2018
Photos: WENN.com, Instagram
I find it amusing but can’t help but wonder how I would feel if genders were reversed.
Same. I was thinking about how uncomfortable I would be if this was a girl. I mean this is partly because Leslie does commentary like this in general but agreed.
Agreed, i love her and think she is really funny but it makes me uncomfortable
Don’t have to wonder. Female athletes are constantly ranked and discussed based on their looks – far more than their athletic accomplishments and abilities are discussed. As long as they’re treated like people and athletes, we’re good.
Mmm. I felt inklings of that, too. But. After a year of MeToo and president p-grabber in the WH, I’m ready for the story to flip. Not forever, but for now.
For once it’s a black woman with the power to openly comment. As Quincy Jones said last week, women and brothers have been hitting the glass ceiling for decades. Black women have been among the hardest hit by American culture — receiving minimal respect or representation.
Put another way: A 50 year-old black, female comedian has essentially taken one of the commentary spots left open by Matt “Secret Button” Lauer. I’m going to give her a pass on this one. Lust away, Leslie!
We know how it feels but they don’t. Maybe men will feel a little empathy for us if this makes them uncomfortable, especially since the tweets are incredibly tame, and aimed at a full grown adult (unlike a lot of the comments made toward young gymnasts and figure skaters).
I don’t mind her comments at all. I also wouldn’t mind them were they about a female uttered by a male. They were meant in jest. And even if they weren’t, so what? Admiring a person’s appreance isn’t sexual harassment.
Maybe it depends on tone and context. Anything Matt Lauer said or did looked and sounded creepy (he’d do that weird thing with his eyes, etc.) Overall, he gave off a creepy vibe, particularly because he’s supposed to have a professional demeanour as a “journalist.”
Since she’s a comedian rather than a journalist, I think the context might make a difference. I don’t think a journalist (not even a female journalist) can get away with what she’s saying, but we do interpret things said by a comedian differently because it’s kind of obvious they’re saying things in jest. I also don’t think she’s literally asking him to luge over to her office where she has a button underneath her desk to eject him from the Olympic Games if he rejects her “advances.” It’s the fear of threat that makes a man saying certain things to a woman uncomfortable. I don’t necessarily think she is evoking the same threatening presence a male commentator would, and I do think that can make a difference in how comments are interpreted. I suppose one could argue that he’s being objectified, but I don’t think there’s any threat to his personal safety when she’s tweeting about him luging on over to her twitter account.
I don’t find it offensive either way. Context. If someone said that about me on TV and was like Leslie, a comedian and that was part of their schtick; I would find it funny.
Those were some of Leslie’s calmer tweets about Luge. The early ones were hilarious as she predicted death for every luger. People are waiting for her to discover skeleton.
She also critiques all the figure skating costumes.
omg, I can’t wait to hear her tweet about skeleton. She’s hilarious. A lot of her comments are what we’re thinking at home, while the regular announcers are blathering on about rules and so forth.
I love how much she loves it.
The baton relay commentary is my favorite.
I’m so glad they brought her out the games! I saw earlier video where she had a whole bunch of screens set up to watch various sports, and now she gets to experience it in person.
I’m still laughing about the “when the relationship is over” tweet, hahahaha 😀
We all could use a little Leslie in our lives. She’s hilarious and her beautiful, dimpled smile is like a ray of sunshine.
Yes. Leslie is providing some much-needed comic relief these days.
Agreed.
Totally agree.
I agree also.
When he just throws your ass away…lol
Lugers seem, by and large, like a pretty chill group of athletes. A lot of camaraderie and support of each other, even from different teams. I think Chris would totally be up for an interview, and Leslie needs to make that happen!
How is she only 50?! She looks amazing!
And I looooove her commentary! Definitely check Twitter just for it!
Come on girls, we can’t have it both ways! If the sexes were reversed people would be outraged! Imagine a male commentator saying he wanted a pretty female figure skater to skate into his arms.
I personally don’t mind what Leslie said, it was funny. But I also don’t mind if men say the same things. It should be equal!
Humor equality.
You just made me think of the humorous judge commentary interplay in Pitch Perfect.
First step toward that equality you’re pitching: stop referring to us as girls and males as men.
You can’t have it both ways.
Except men still make those comments. As I said upthread, maybe this will be a learning opportunity. And I bet Leslie Jones is not going to try to wreck his career if he doesn’t “give in”.
She is hilarious! I’m thrilled that her tweeting got her this gig.
Oh hell yeah I’m watching the Olympics, and I am least patriotic person I know! I’m watching luge, skating, snowboarding, skilling, and anything else they flash before my eyes. I’m also watching for the first time with my girls (7 and 9), and I’m loving how excited the whole world is getting about women’s snowboarding. I grew up next to a mountain and snowboarding, to see women tearing it up in the half-pipe is glorious! Oh yeah, and my kids are getting to see women kicking ass, I’m loving it. Can you tell!!!
Lol at the people commenting “if the sexes were reversed” like female athletes’ looks aren’t CONSTANTLY discussed. She talked first about his sport. She wasn’t disrespectful. We’re good.
She’s right about Mazdzer.
LOVE Leslie, and she looks great.
Hey Corey, is there a scan feature on your tv or antenna? I could not get NBC on my antenna either, I found it finally after several channel scans. Cool to hear someone else uses an antenna, lol. #ogtv
Her energy level is just too over the top/ too extroverted for me. I’d have to close myself in my room for a full day or two just to recover from that level of enthusiasm and VOLUME. I think she’s usually pretty funny on SNL, but I can only manage small doses of people that loud and boisterous, and need quiet time to recover afterward. I can’t take constant yelling.
Maybe I should just check out her tweets!!
( I’m an introvert, could you tell?)
I like it. Going to go check out her Twitter now. For all the people saying leslie is making them uncomfortable…. Leslie is a COMEDIAN making fun of herself.
THANK YOU. He is a fully grown adult, her comments are PG rated, and she has no control over his career.
Can we just talk about how amazing her Alexa ad is? I lose it every time when she screams “Who is Alexa?”.
I love her. Leslie Jones is the best thing about the Olympics.
I’m an equal opportunity objectifier (respectfully – before any itchy typing fingers are quick to jump all over that).
I love LJ and i think her commentary is hilarious and it definitely beings an energy to the Olympics that I’ve never thought possible.
Get it girl!