NBC has enlisted several veteran broadcasters to host its coverage of the Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony, and they’ll be joined by an Olympics newbie.
Jimmy Fallon is the newbie, with the Tonight Show host making his Olympics hosting debut in August at the Closing Ceremony. Fallon will join Mike Tirico, Terry Gannon, Tara Lipinski, and Johnny Weir as part of NBC’s Closing Ceremony coverage, which begins at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 11.
While Fallon has contributed to past Olympics coverage for NBC, this is his official debut as a member of the broadcast team.
“We are excited for Jimmy to make his official Olympic debut in an iconic setting at the biggest party in the world with Mike, while Terry, Tara, and Johnny return to provide a fashionably fun take on the pageantry and parade of athletes who competed in Paris,” said Molly Solomon, Executive Producer and President, NBC Olympics Production.
The trio of Gannon, Lipinski, and Weir have hosted Closing Ceremony coverage on NBC for the last three Olympics. In comparison, Tirico hosted the Closing Ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympics from Rio de Janeiro.
Fallon hosting the Closing Ceremony was teased last month when Tirico, Kelly Clarkson, and Peyton Manning appeared on The Tonight Show to announce they were hosting the Opening Ceremony. Tirico invited Fallon to Paris at the end of that segment, asking him to cohost the Closing Ceremony.
Gannon, Lipinski, and Weir have been fixtures on NBC’s figure skating coverage during the Winter Olympics, dating back to 2014. In addition to hosting the Closing Ceremony, Gannon will also call gymnastics in Paris, his second straight Olympics calling the sport for NBC.
The Olympics generally cater to a crowd larger than diehard sports fans, and some of the names cohosting NBC’s Opening and Closing Ceremony coverage reinforce that point.
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.