Fans will have to wait to see Adam Rippon appear regularly on the small screen.
The charismatic figure skater will not be joining NBC as a contributor, the network confirmed to HuffPost, after Rippon clarified the news during a Monday morning interview from Pyeongchang, South Korea.
“I am so flattered that NBC wanted me to work as a correspondent,” Rippon said on NBCSN. “But if I took this opportunity, I would have to leave the Olympic team and I would have to leave the [Olympic] Village.”
He continued, “It’s so important to me, you know, I worked so hard to be on this Olympic team, and my teammates and my friends were there for me during my events, and that meant so much to me, that I really feel like I need to be there for them during their events as well.”
He echoed the comment later on Twitter.
USA Today’s Christine Brennan, who previously reported Rippon was joining the network, tweeted a similar sentiment, saying a source told her Rippon didn’t want to “relinquish his official Olympic standing ... and miss the closing ceremony.” According to Brennan, Rippon agreed to the gig but later turned it down after learning how he’d have to separate from the team.
NBC did not respond to HuffPost’s requests for comment.
Earlier on Sunday, USA Today reported 28-year-old Rippon, one of the first openly gay U.S. figure skaters to compete in the Olympics, had been recruited as a contributor for the remainder of the games. He has made headlines throughout his time in Pyeongchang, first calling out Vice President Mike Pence for his anti-LGBTQ stances, and later for his hilarious one-liners.
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