Bob Costas is out as NBC's Olympics host
DAVID J. PHILLIP/AP/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
When the 2018 Winter Olympics begin, Bob Costas won’t be anchoring the primetime coverage from PyeongChang. Those duties will now go to Mike Tirico, the former ESPNer who joined NBC last year.
Costas has served as the primetime host of every Olympic Games broadcast by NBC since 1992. “It has been both a privilege and an incredible personal and professional experience to have been part of NBC’s Olympic coverage all these years,” said Costas, who has the longest tenure of NBC’s sports announcers — a whopping 37 years. “I’m especially appreciative of all the talented and dedicated people I worked for and with on those broadcasts. I always felt that, in a certain sense, I was carrying the ball for them. It’s been a wonderful run, but I just felt now was the right time to step away and I’m grateful that NBC left that decision to me.”
Tirico made his Olympics debut last summer at Rio, dipping a toe in with an NBC daytime hosting gig and serving as host of the Closing Ceremony. Tirico began making his bones at ESPN more than 25 years ago as a SportsCenter anchor, then began calling and covering games for just about any sport imaginable. At NBC, he’s covered such varied events as The Open, The Ryder Cup, and the Breeder’s Cup World Championships.
“Bob Costas and the Olympics has been one of greatest pairings in sports broadcasting history, and there isn’t anyone better suited to inherit his mantle than Mike Tirico,” said Jim Bell, president of NBC Olympics Production and Programming. “Mike’s natural gifts as a broadcaster and passion for storytelling are just two reasons he is the perfect choice to host the biggest, most distinguished sports event in the world.”
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