Q&A: Delaware's Johnny Weir previews his NBC Summer Olympic Games broadcast in Paris

Please forgive Johnny Weir if he doesn't get back to you right away. It's a crazy busy time for the Olympic figure skater, who calls Delaware home.

In addition to his full-time day job running the Aston, Pennsylvania-based Johnny Weir Skating Academy , which he launched last year after retiring from public performances , he soon flies to Paris as an Olympic correspondent for NBC's broadcast of the Summer Olympic Games.

And if that's not enough, the stylish Greenville resident made his debut on the season premiere of the new season of MTV's "The Surreal Life" Tuesday night, living with the likes of Grammy Award-winning singer Macy Gray, "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" personality Kim Zolciak and model Josie Canseco, among others for the reality TV show.

We spoke with Weir earlier this week from his five bedroom, 5,678-square-foot First State home, which he showed off on MTV's "Cribs" in 2021 .

Weir will make his sixth NBC Olympics appearance as a broadcaster with his chief duty this year, co-hosting the closing ceremony with Olympic figure skater Tara Lapiniski and sportscaster Terry Gannon, which also will feature sportscaster Mike Tirico and comedian Jimmy Fallon. It's his fourth time in the booth for the closing ceremony.

We spoke about his trip to the Paris Olympics (where Snoop Dogg is a fellow NBC broadcaster this year), his time living in "The Surreal Life" villa in Medellín, Colombia, last fall and what Delaware life has been for him in the six years since becoming an official Delawarean.

Question: So when do you head to Paris?

Answer: Because we are covering the closing ceremony, we don't actually have to head out until Aug. 5. Tara and I have some obligations for the Team USA house. This is the first one since COVID that they're having. So we're going to help spread the cheer over there and, of course, we'll be prepping for the closing ceremony. It's all about studying and being up to date on all of the bajillion events that make up the Summer Olympics along with camera tests and all those things. It really is a huge production.

When does homework start for you? Do you show up there and they drop binders on your desk or do they send you stuff before you even get there?

As far as kind of delving into personal experiences, Tara and I are both Olympians so we can rely a lot on what the athletes are feeling based on our own experience. And I think the insight that so many people like about athletes covering major events that they were a part of it themselves and you get that insight into what it feels like to walk into this huge arena under an American flag. But homework is very important. We've got to know a lot of faces, how to pronounce a lot of names. Studying: we definitely go hard. We sit in our rooms all hours and talk about the the main events and the big faces and the stories that we have to cover ― just so nothing catches us off guard. Live TV is the most exciting thing to do in the world to me now as a geriatric grown up, simply because it gives us that sense of pressure that you have to deliver in the moment and get people to stop clicking through channels and make it a spectacle.

So you've been either competing or broadcasting from the Olympics since 2006, right?

Way to make me feel old. [Laughs] I just turned 40 and I already had to say, 'Oh, I'm 40,' to somebody out loud last week. It was it was shocking. I've been around a long time.

I would think that anything gets a little bit old over time, but then again, I've never been to the Olympics. Is there any of it that becomes routine or is it just this magical thing that once you get there, it kind of sucks you in?

I think the only thing that gets old is all of the security checks, the accreditation checks ― like all the checkpoints. I think that's the only thing that really starts to weigh on you heavily by the end of the games whether you're an athlete or a broadcaster. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I want everyone to be safe and secure, but it does get annoying waiting in line. Even if you've seen the same person every day going into work, they still have to check you out and make sure everything's OK. Make sure there's nothing illegal in your bag. You know, no knives ― no knives in the broadcasting center. But aside from that, every Olympics is so compelling because it really is a moment for these athletes competing in niche sports to have the spotlight on them. And as an athlete, you do feel that your entire life and everything you've ever done every time you've ever cried or bled or fallen, every decision you've ever made only matters in those six minutes you have in front of the world. And for me, having been to so many now, I get nervous. I'm one of those people that thinks if you're not nervous to do something that it means you don't really care that much about it. So even though as a broadcaster it's not the same stakes as when I was an athlete, I still get nervous.

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Like you said, you definitely have a lighter load when it comes to doing the Summer Olympics instead of the Winter Olympics. Are there any specific challenges that you face because you're out of your comfort zone a bit?

I think if I found something to be overwhelming, I wouldn't do it. This is a challenge, but all in the best ways because I love working hard. And, again, it comes from being an athlete my entire life. I love seeing results. I love accomplishment. As far as feeling out of my comfort zone, that is part of my whole vibe as an entertainer now stepping away from Olympic sports because when you're a figure skater or swimmer or a gymnast, mistakes are not an option. You're not allowed to do something that could ruin your chances, so to speak. So now that I'm free of that kind of pressure, I love trying new things. I love a new experience and a new challenge because it pushes my brain. So the Summer Games, it's the Olympics. It's my wheelhouse.

You said you still get nervous, but what is the atmosphere like in the booth with millions of people watching around the world?

We keep things super conversational. I want people to feel like they're sitting on the couch with the three of us and that we're all talking about the same thing. I've already seen the Team USA closing ceremony uniform and it reminds me of NASCAR and I just can't wait to drop in a little plug for NASCAR pit crews and things like that. So, you know, we do things off the cuff. We do things live. I am going to be ready for those uniforms to pop up.

If it's so conversational and fun, will you commit right here and now to dropping a Delaware shout out during the broadcast?

I can't commit. You know, it's funny. The first thing that I really remember anybody from the network telling me during a figure skating show was that the one thing you always have to remember is that you are working for your audience. You're not working for your sport. You're not working for the people that you grew up around, even if it's your coach, your best friend or your biggest enemy. You're commentating and you're completely unbiased because we're bringing people the stories so they can appreciate how hard these people work. It's never about us. Of course we want people to stop changing the channel and like marvel at our beautiful hair and wardrobe, but this isn't about us. This is about the stories we get to cover. And I think if I drew too much attention to Delaware, to be fair, it might be a little like "Me, me me." I think because of our hair and makeup and clothes that we already have the appearance to some people that it is all about us.

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What do you think about this wave of celebrity correspondents NBC has this year, including Kelly Clarkson, Jimmy Fallon, Snoop Dogg and Peyton Manning? I assume some old school people probably might not like that. My guess is it would be more up your alley and you're going to enjoy it. Am I about right on that?

I love celebrity. I think that having famous people support the Olympic Games is very important. I'm interested and excited to see how some of these people do with the Olympic Games because you wouldn't necessarily expect Snoop Dogg to take something like the Olympics very seriously. Of course I saw his viral commentaries during the last Summer Olympics and he is hilarious. I cannot wait to see what kind of insights he brings to the games. I think in recent years, the way that people take in their entertainment is in 15 second clips on Instagram or videos on TikTok. That's how people get a lot of their news. That's how people stay entertained most of the time. And I think that more eyeballs on celebrities like Snoop Dogg being a part of our coverage is a great thing and such an interesting choice.

A scenario just popped into my head and you might have thought about it also: the closing ceremonies are over, you're hanging out with Snoop and he wants to roll one with you. What do you do? What are the rules?

[Laughs] I don't know if marijuana is legal in France. I don't know where it falls, but I'm not much of a smoker. You know, I'm an athlete at heart. I don't think that would be part of my Olympic experience.

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I also want to ask you about the "The Surreal Life" because that starts as well. You had your own reality series "Be Good Johnny Weir" on the Sundance Channel in 2010. How did you like that experience and why did you say yes to this one? It's a bit different because you're just thrown in with strangers and they film you all the time.

Well my show was a very wonderful experience for me. It gave me a lot of great insights on how to make a TV show and what it actually takes and the energy it takes. I was still young and kind of sassy. Since that time in my life, I've had the opportunity to do a lot of different TV projects and a lot of reality, the famous shows, everything is so set up. You may as well be acting or getting paid acting rates for for what you do. I'm always a little bit wary of reality shows simply because they're so formulaic and the camera crews are so large. People aren't trying to pay overtime all the time to the crew, so they try to get what they can and that only comes from setting things up. For "The Surreal Life," I was very nervous just because I have never had to share a bedroom with a roommate before. I'm also a relatively shy person unless I got a little wine in me. Meeting new people isn't always the easiest thing, let alone living alongside new people. I had no idea what I was stepping into. We are on camera and microphone 24/7, even while we're sleeping. So I knew that there would be no chance to really set up a scenario as far as our real interactions. Of course we did things like go on day trips and stuff like that, but the drama and the funnies that unfold were all organic and natural and that's the kind of reality show that I enjoy being a part of because I hate setup. It was an experience that I would never take back and, honestly, it's right up there with what I do for NBC.

Are there any moments that you're dreading that they're gonna use? Something that happened and you're not sure how it's going to look?

I have full faith in the editing team. They said they weren't trying to make a gotcha TV show. But it's in an era where you can offend somebody and get canceled for it without even knowing what you said or what you did. I think it's a really scary endeavor for any well-known person to get into something like being on camera for 24 hours. But I'm not worried about it because I love everyone. I will love you until, you know, you kill my dog or something. I'm just that kind of person that is very open-minded and open-hearted. I definitely talk about a lot of stuff that's very meaningful to me on the show and I open up a lot about the different things in my past that I haven't really had a great opportunity to speak on just because most of my life comes down to six minute increments before commercial breaks. But I don't think there are any scenarios that are going to be overly shocking to people. I mean, there were some romances that happened, but I was not a part of them, unfortunately.

I have to ask you one Delaware question. I know you're a big fan of [Wilmington restaurant] Bardea . Are there any other Delaware spots that have become favorites since you moved here full time?

I love [Brandywine Hundred restaurant] Snuff Mill [Restaurant, Butchery & Wine Bar]. I think they're rocking it with their their menu and the ambiance. [Wilmington florist] Flowers by Yukie is a big haunt of mine. I get my fresh flowers from there. And people now know, especially my Japanese fans for my birthday. A few weeks ago my Japanese fans called Yuki to get flowers delivered to me because they knew she would get them to me. Being in Delaware has been a dream. I can live a relatively relaxed life here. Unless my hair's done, nobody even recognizes me. I wear a baseball cap most the time because I can't do my own hair. But you know, I live a quiet life. And that gives me the most wonderful balance between what I do for for a living and who I am as a person. I need that recharge that Delaware offers me.

Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook ( @ryancormier ) and X ( @ryancormier ).

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Q&A: Delaware's Johnny Weir previews his NBC Summer Olympic Games broadcast in Paris