Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, who drew considerable praise during the Winter Olympics in Sochi for their fresh, entertaining commentary and savvy figure skating analysis, grabbed a promotion to the top spot for figure skating broadcasting on NBC Sports, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
Jim Bell, the executive producer of NBC Olympics, said producers seek out the type of chemistry Weir and Lipinski naturally have together.
"Tara and Johnny are a very authentic team," he told the Times in a telephone interview. "They're fun and fresh. They're not afraid to offer strong opinions and come back and take a selfie on Instagram."
The two will kick off their promotion during the NBC broadcast of Skate America on Sunday, but perhaps most notably, will be the prime-time personalities of NBC figure skating for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
"I could not have asked for a better first experience than in Sochi and along with my broadcast partners Tara and Terry," Weir said in a statement, according to Hollywood Reporter. "I cannot wait to start a fresh new era of commentary and analysis that will entertain and inform."
Weir and Lipinski are replacing Scott Hamilton, who won an Olympic gold medal in men's figure skating in 1984 and has been the long-time personality of the sport's Olympic coverage for CBS, and Sandra Bezic. Hamilton will now transition to being a special commentator for major figure skating competitions, including the United States Nationals.
Terry Gannon will also take over for Tom Hammond. Gannon has been a correspondent on NBCSN programs with Lipinski and Weir before.
The duo's roles as broadcasters have widened outside of figure skating, with appearances on Access Hollywood's Academy Awards coverage and as fashion commentators for the Kentucky Derby.
Cross-over work for Weir and Lipinski at NBCSN has not been ruled out, meaning the figure skating duo would be commentating for both until NBC loses its Olympics rights deals in 2032.
