Legend of figure skating Johnny Weir he did his return of reality television in 2026 with an activated occurrence season 4 of The Traitors.
But reality fans may not be familiar with Weir’s long resume on the ice. Although he started out as an equestrian, Weir began skating at the age of 12, inspired by Kristi Yamaguchigold medal winning performance at the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics.
A two-time Olympian himself and a six-time U.S. championships medalist, Weir competed professionally for more than two decades and became one of the most outspoken athletes in the sport’s history.
“I don’t regret anything,” he said today’s Meredith Viera in 2011. “I pushed a lot of buttons with the figure skating federation, but I was trying to open them up and teach them. I’m a modern, young person. There are things I like and things I’ll do, and I don’t need to answer to anyone. I make my own way in this world.”
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Keep scrolling to learn more about Johnny Weir’s ice career.
Johnny Weir is a two-time Olympian
Weir made her Olympic debut in 2006 in Turin, Italy, placing second in the short program and sixth in the free skate, good for fifth overall. He returned at the 2010 Winter Games in Russia, where he finished sixth, again missing out on a medal.
Johnny Weir won 3 straight gold medals at the US Figure Skating Championships
Although Weir had two cracks at sports’ biggest stage, he was probably the most dominant skater of his era in the United States. He won his first U.S. title in 2004 at the age of 19, making him the youngest to win since 1991. He won again in 2005, and when he finished with a three-peat the following year, he became the first to accomplish the feat since 1988.
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Johnny Weir was inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2021
Weir was honored for his skating achievement in 2021 when he was inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame. It was a celebration of not just his dominance, but how he established his own style on the ice, from the clothes he wore to the quotes he gave.
“Despite naysayers who felt his sometimes flamboyant and potentially loud persona was too much, or even those in the sport who asked that he sometimes ‘tone down’ his non-traditional words and attire, Weir has remained true to himself in all endeavors.” US Figure Skating he wrote at the time.
Weir added, “The Hall of Fame is something I looked to for inspiration, because it’s the great champions of American skating who are in this Hall of Fame; they’re the people who were able to manage their talent as well as be judged for a living. The people there are definitely people I’ve loved my whole career, and now to join them is surreal.”
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Johnny Weir retired from competitive figure skating in 2013
Weir called it a career in 2013, opting to stay in the game by joining the broadcast booth.
“It’s surreal to write about my career as if it happened to someone else and write the words, ‘I’m retiring from competitive figure skating,'” Weir said in a statement a Us Weekly at that time. “I’ve cried writing this entire column not because I was sad, or missing practice or falling or being so nervous I thought my head would explode, or starving or the glory of victory or the agony of defeat, I cry for the memories that have shaped my life.”
Johnny Weir became best friends with ‘Traitors’ costar Tara Lipinski in retirement
Weir said during the season 4 premiere that he wanted to downplay their relationship delivery partner Tara Lipinskibut any figure skating fan in the group would have seen it straight.
Not only are the two close friends — Weir even served as best man at their wedding — but they even described each other as “lost platonic soulmates who met later in life” in a 2022 interview with Vogue.
The pair have worked together for years behind the microphone as figure skating broadcasters for NBC Sports, as well as fashion commentators at events ranging from the Oscars to the Kentucky Derby.