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Did NBC stop Leslie Jones from live tweeting Winter Olympics? 'So shortsighted' say fans

Angry social media users slam NBC after Jones tweets she won't be live-tweeting the Olympics anymore because she's 'tired of fighting'

American comedian Leslie Jones isn't just known for her stand-up, but over the past several years she also garnered a lot of fame and attention for her live-tweets of the Olympic games. However, it seems like those days are now over, as Jones herself admitted in a tweet on February 7, 2022. Jones' admission led to widespread fury online, with many people targeting NBC because "Her commentary is the most attention these Olympics are getting." 

The controversy is the latest one to dodge the 2022 Beijing Games, which have proven to be one of the most controversial to date. In early December, President Joe Biden ordered a diplomatic boycott of the games, which several other nations also did. On February 4, Dutch journalist Sjoerd den Daas was dragged away by police on air, while guards blocked the camera. On February 7, allegations emerged that China was "starving" foreign athletes over the lack of hot meals. 

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NBC, which is the only broadcaster of the Olympics in the USA has long been slammed for tape-delay broadcasts of many events. That's where Jones came in. Since the 2016 Rio Games, Jones has been garnering widespread attention for her live tweets and reactions, which impressed NBC bosses. It's unclear what changed since then, but clearly, something has.

'It's just gotten too hard'

Shortly after her coverage of the 2016 Summer Games went viral, NBC invited Jones to join its commentary team in Rio. She reprised her role for the 2018 WInter Olympics in Pyeongchang, before returning to live-tweet the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She also began live-tweeting the Beijing games, but it appears the higher-ups at NBC are no longer on board with it. Jones is no longer part of NBC's broadcasting team, and it seems she's also being forced to ditch live tweets.

"I'm starting to feel like this should be my last Olympics i live tweet," she said in a statement on Twitter, adding, "But i'm tired of fighting the folks who don't want me to do it. They block my
videos and they get folks who think they can do it like me." Jones added, "I know y'all love it. But now it's just gotten too hard. And no one is fighting for or with me." She ended by saying, "Soooo I guess I'll leave it to the professionals." Within hours, that tweet garnered over 2,000 retweets, 36k likes, and hundreds of comments.

As if any clarification was needed, she replied below that "It’s not the hate it’s NBC", a comment she was forced to repeat several times as people asked who was behind the decision. Jones did not go into details but made it very clear NBC was the reason she had to stop live-tweeting.

In response to the controversy, NBC has said Jones "is free to do her social media posts as she has done in the past." NBC spokesman Greg Hughes told Associated Press that her videos were being blocked due to a "third-party error," and not because of the company. "She is a super fan of the Olympics and we are super fans of her," Hughes added. 

'They should be paying not punishing'

The anger was swift, and social media users quickly made NBC the target of their ire. "Leslie Jones reveals NBC, which owns broadcast rights, has asked her to stop live-tweeting the Olympic Games, something she’s done for the past several Olympics. This is outrageous. Her commentary is the most attention these Olympics are getting. TV ratings are in the dumpster," a former NBC employee tweeted. One angry user replied, "Hey NBC f--k off with that trash and give Leslie the props she deserves - ya'll would have never had as brilliant an idea as having a comedian live tweet the Olympics if she hadn't done it first! You'll never be as good at it either."

"Your commentary and live tweets are a DELIGHT!! They are, in fact, the only thing that makes me want to go and watch @nbc’s actual coverage of the Olympics. Your wonder at these athletes’ achievements is so genuine, joyous, and infectious. They should be PAYING, not punishing!" one person said. Another slammed, "Y’all don’t deserve Leslie Jones. She is pure joy and good vibes and apparently too happy for you. Man, I f----n hate it here." One user tweeted, "I want to live in a world where Leslie Jones has a $100 million contract and Joe Rogan is the one saying no one is fighting for him." One user reminded NBC : "Viewership is down like 40%. You'd think they'd appreciate the spotlight from @Lesdogg. So shortsighted smh."