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This Might Be Our Last Olympics With Leslie Jones' Hilarious Coverage Because NBC Is Allegedly Pressuring Her To Stop

BuzzFeed
3 min read

This is Leslie Jones — stand-up comedian, actor, former Saturday Night Live cast member, and the best part of the Olympics since 2016.

Leslie smiling on the red carpet of the People Choice Awards
Amy Sussman / Getty Images

In case you missed it, basically no one loves the Olympics more than Leslie Jones does, and she's been doing live recaps of both the Summer and Winter Games on her social media since 2016.

Her tweets are so good, in fact, that in 2016, NBC flew her out to Rio so she could watch the competitions in person.

She again joined NBC as a correspondent at the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang.

Leslie poses in her Team USA uniform
Marianna Massey / Getty Images

However, only a few days into the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Leslie released a statement on Instagram saying that they may be the last Olympics she live tweets.

NBC / Via giphy.com

She captioned it, "Leslie Jones does not stay anywhere I’m not welcomed."

"I'm tired of fighting the folks who don't want me to do it," she wrote.

Leslie Jones smiling while rocking an off-the-shoulder gown on the red carpet
Gregg Deguire / WireImage / Via Getty

She continued, "They block my videos, and they get folks who think they can do it like me."

the comedian out and about in a striped pantsuit

"And I'm tired of fighting them."

Rb / GC Images / Via Getty

She also said that, while she knows that both the athletes and the audience love what she's doing, it's "gotten too hard" because "no one is fighting for or with me."

Leslie on the Grammys red carpet wearing a see-through long-sleeved dress

"I guess I'll leave it to the professionals," she added.

David Livingston / Getty Images

Leslie concluded her statement with the same hashtag that's in her caption: #UpToYallNow.

People in Leslie's comments have been rallying in support of the comedian and her Olympics content.

your commentary is the best
dogsofreinebing / Via instagram.com
I'm so sorry anyone is discouraging such genuine enthusiasm and support for our athletes
beccarebec / Via instagram.com

Even Olympic ice hockey player Hilary Knight expressed her love for Leslie.

heart you
@hilaryknight / Via instagram.com

Haters and online trolls can get the best of anyone, but on Twitter, Leslie clarified that they're not her problem — it's NBC, the network that broadcasts the Olympics.

She shared the same sentiment in response to a fan's comment on TikTok.

not trolls, it's nbc
@lesdoggggg / Via tiktok.com

As Leslie continued to express her discontent with NBC — which is also the network behind Saturday Night Live, the show she left in 2019 — more sweet messages of support poured in.

This isn't the first time Leslie has hinted at issues with NBC. In 2020, she told Entertainment Tonight that she doesn't miss SNL at all because "that job was like two jobs and very restrictive too."

Leslie on Weekend Update talking to Colin Jost

She concluded, "I wasn’t very free there."

Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank / NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Well, the Olympics certainly wouldn't be the same without Leslie's colorful commentary. I hope NBC decides to work with her again instead of against her, but until then, I'd love to see her bring her talents to another competition, like the Classic Tetris World Championships or The Great British Bakeoff.

Leslie smiling while wearing a pantsuit
Randy Shropshire / Getty Images for ESSENCE

To support Leslie, you check out her hilarious content on Twitter and TikTok.

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