{"id":7648,"date":"2026-02-23T12:31:39","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T12:31:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/?p=7648"},"modified":"2026-02-23T12:31:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T12:31:39","slug":"%e2%9d%84%ef%b8%8f-they-waited-until-the-final-minutes-then-dropped-this-%f0%9f%98%b3%f0%9f%93%ba-with-the-closing-ceremony-just-moments-away-nbc-made-a-last-minute-anno","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/?p=7648","title":{"rendered":"\u2744\ufe0f \u201cThey Waited Until the Final Minutes \u2014 Then Dropped This.\u201d \ud83d\ude33\ud83d\udcfa  With the Closing Ceremony just moments away, NBC made a last-minute announcement that immediately sent fans into speculation mode. No long build-up. No early leaks. Just a carefully timed reveal as the 2026 Winter Olympics prepared to sign off.  Sources say the move wasn\u2019t accidental. With emotions already running high, the surprise has many wondering whether the finale will include more than farewell performances and medal montages. Is it a programming shake-up? A future host reveal twist? Or something tied to one of the Games\u2019 breakout stars?  NBC hasn\u2019t shared every detail publicly \u2014 and that silence is only fueling curiosity  \ud83c\udfa5 What exactly was announced \u2014 and how could it reshape the final moments of the Olympics? Watch the update below. \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"featured-image page-header-image-single grid-container grid-parent\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/humansofgeorgia.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/thumb-2026-02-23T150848.705.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/humansofgeorgia.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/thumb-2026-02-23T150848.705.jpg 650w, https:\/\/humansofgeorgia.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/thumb-2026-02-23T150848.705-300x162.jpg 300w\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"351\" \/><\/div>\n<header class=\"entry-header\">\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"emoji\" role=\"img\" draggable=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/svg\/2744.svg\" alt=\"\u2744\ufe0f\" \/>\u00a0\u201cThey Waited Until the Final Minutes \u2014 Then Dropped This.\u201d\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"emoji\" role=\"img\" draggable=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/svg\/1f633.svg\" alt=\"\ud83d\ude33\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"emoji\" role=\"img\" draggable=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/svg\/1f4fa.svg\" alt=\"\ud83d\udcfa\" \/>\u00a0With the Closing Ceremony just moments away, NBC made a last-minute announcement that immediately sent fans into speculation mode. No long build-up. No early leaks. Just a carefully timed reveal as the 2026 Winter Olympics prepared to sign off.<\/h1>\n<div class=\"entry-meta\"><span class=\"posted-on\"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-02-23T15:10:54+07:00\">23\/02\/2026<\/time><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"entry-content\"><ins class=\"982a9496\" data-key=\"a835c143931403ba551d7ad7f954d0ca\"><\/ins>NBC\u2019s figure-skating trio, equal parts technical analysis, personality, and viral moments, has become the network\u2019s go-to team to guide viewers through the emotional peaks of Olympic spectacle.<\/p>\n<div class=\"GTwdsGl4\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-4\"><\/div>\n<p>That familiarity was reinforced on Friday when the network tapped its veteran booth of Terry Gannon, Tara Lipinski, and Johnny Weir to host Sunday\u2019s closing ceremony of the Milan Cortina\u00a0Winter Olympics.<\/p>\n<div class=\"RzNtIAQV\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/4DbGs0.71F02jPLuBRNo7A--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTQyNztjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/ny_post_sports_articles_389\/d2f768303d89f48787d4e96035152ac5\" alt=\"Olympics figure skating wraps up with the exhibition gala \u2014 How to watch  Alysa Liu, Ilia Malinin, more - Yahoo Sports\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Live coverage from Verona begins at 2:30 p.m. ET, followed by a 5 p.m. hour-long \u201cBest of Milan Cortina 2026\u201d recap and a primetime encore at 9 p.m..<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-5\"><\/div>\n<p>NBC positions the trio\u00a0as natural anchors for a telecast blending ceremony storytelling with athlete reaction and cultural context, areas where they\u2019ve consistently excelled across multiple Games.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"11561396\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2260289109.jpg?w=1600&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1200px) 1536px, (min-width: 768px) 1024px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2260289109.jpg?w=640&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 640w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2260289109.jpg?w=750&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 750w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2260289109.jpg?w=1000&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1000w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2260289109.jpg?w=1200&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1200w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2260289109.jpg?w=1360&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1360w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2260289109.jpg?w=1600&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1600w\" alt=\"A general view of the Olympic rings from behind Laura Mattarella, First Lady of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy, and Kirsty Coventry, President of the IOC.\" width=\"4347\" height=\"2942\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\u2026 | Photo by Andreas Rentz\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Gannon\u00a0is an American sportscaster with a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 stretching across golf, gymnastics, college basketball, and Olympic figure skating. A former NCAA champion basketball player at North Carolina State, he joined NBC Sports in 2010 and has been a key Olympic play-by-play voice, including hosting figure skating and multiple ceremonies.<\/p>\n<p>Lipinski\u00a0is one of the most decorated U.S. figure skaters of all time, winning Olympic gold in 1998 at just 15, the youngest individual Winter Olympic champion in history. After retiring from competition, she transitioned into broadcasting, joining NBC in 2011 and becoming a lead analyst known for sharp technical insight and media versatility.<\/p>\n<p>Weir\u00a0is a two-time U.S. champion and two-time Olympic figure skater whose charismatic personality and deep sports knowledge have made him a staple NBC figure skating analyst since 2013.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2262646016.jpg?w=1600&amp;h=900&amp;q=88\" alt=\"Olympic Gala Decision Elevates Ilia Malinin to Prime Position\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Together, the Gannon-Lipinski-Weir trio has proven to be a major ratings and social-media draw. Their blend of technical precision (Lipinski), emotional edge (Weir), and broadcast composure (Gannon) gives NBC a repeatable formula to close the show on a high note.<\/p>\n<p>Longer term, keeping the same trio for marquee moments further cements their brand identity with\u00a0Olympics\u00a0viewers, making them more likely to be the network\u2019s \u201cgo-to\u201d voices for future Games.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0\u201cThey Waited Until the Final Minutes \u2014 Then Dropped This.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0With the Closing Ceremony just moments away, NBC made a last-minute announcement that immediately sent fans into speculation&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7649,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7648"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7650,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7648\/revisions\/7650"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}