Leslie Jones’s Tweets Land Her a New Gig as Rio Olympics Contributor

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Leslie Jones’s Tweets Land Her a New Gig as Rio Olympics Contributor
Leslie Jones poses backstage during the Sony Pictures Entertainment presentation at CinemaCon 2016, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on April 12, 2016. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File
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Leslie Jones’s love-hate relationship with Twitter is well-documented.

The “Ghostbusters” star and “Saturday Night Live” member took a short hiatus in mid-July from the social media platform after she was racially cyber-bullied. After her return to the platform this month, her tweets caught the attention of NBC executives.

Since the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics on Aug. 5, Jones—clad in patriotic garb—has been live-tweeting commentary and support for Team USA athletes on her Twitter feed. As a result, NBC announced on Aug. 8 that Jones will serve as a contributor for its coverage.

“Starting this Friday, Jones will attend live Olympic events, meet athletes, and spread her enthusiasm for the Olympics on-air and online during NBC Olympics’ coverage of Rio 2016,” NBC said in a press release.

“We’re thrilled to have Leslie come to the Olympics,” NBC Olympics Executive Producer Jim Bell said in the statement. “She’s a member of the family, and her passion for the Olympics is remarkable.”

Jones will be attending swimming, track and field, gymnastics, and beach volleyball events.

Team USA athletes are currently leading in most medals earned with 19 and are tied with China for gold medals at five each.

The United States won gold in the 400-meter freestyle relay on Sunday at the Olympic Aquatics Center led by swimmer Michael Phelps. Phelps currently holds 19 Olympic gold medals.

Up-and-coming swimmer Lilly King won her first career Olympic gold in the 100-meter breaststroke on Monday night in a record-breaking time of 1:04.93.  

In tennis, defending gold medalist sister-duo Venus and Serena Williams were ousted from any chance at a medal in the women’s doubles when they lost to Czech Republic duo Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova in the first round.

See some more of Jones’s tweets below.

Chika Dunu
Chika Dunu
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