Leslie Jones To Cover 2016 Rio Olympics
Throughout this past weekend Leslie Jones voiced her love for the Olympics, using her social media presence to cheer on the many athletes participating in the annual event.
Well, now it looks like Jones' enthusiasm for the Olympics has landed her a role as an on-air correspondent for the remainder of the competition.
NBC confirmed to Deadline that the Saturday Night Live and Ghostbusters star will be helping report on the event after Jim Bell, the executive producer of NBC's Olympic coverage, caught wind of Jones' tweets and invited her to join the NBC team in Rio.
"Starting this Friday, Jones will attend live Olympic events, including swimming, track and field, gymnastics and beach volleyball; meet athletes; and spread her passion for sports and the Olympics on-air and online," NBC said in a statement.
Details on Jones' trip to Rio de Janeiro are reportedly being worked out, but considering she's already employed by NBC there's bound to be some beneficial cross-promotional opportunities to be had with Jones hanging out in Rio.
Jones' commentary on the Olympics have been nothing short of entertaining, with the comedian live-tweeting the almost month long ceremony in the best ways possible. Blending hilarious takes with an unabashed love for Team U.S.A., Jones does everything from offering motivational speeches to wearing a U.S.A. jumpsuit (while wrapped in the U.S.A. flag).
It's so nice to see Jones' return to social media, especially considering the racist and sexist harassment she endured on Twitter following the release of the latest Ghostbusters movie.
However, now we'll all be able to witness Jones provide some comical commentary on this event being watched across the world. Hopefully we'll get an interview between her and Simone Biles, the talented 19-year-old U.S.A. gymnast that's expected to bring home as many as five gold medals. But we'll see what happens.
