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Michael Phelps Reveals the Musical Motivation for His #PhelpsFace at MTV VMAs

It’s Future’s fault! Michael Phelps revealed what inspired his infamous #PhelpsFace at the Rio Olympics during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, August 28.

“Remember in Rio when I made that face that ended up all over the Internet?” Phelps, 31, asked the crowd at NYC’s Madison Square Garden. “I was in the zone with Future’s song blaring in my headphones.”

Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps

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Phelps was on hand to introduce Future’s performance. “I might have a lot of gold, but this guy’s got all the platinum,” he said.

Earlier this month, Phelps made headlines for more than just making history in Rio de Janeiro. Before one race, the 23-time gold medalist looked like he was glaring at a rival swimmer. The death stare became a meme and quickly went viral.

USA gold medalist Michael Phelps holds the U.S. flag after the podium ceremony of the men's swimming 4x100m Medley Relay Final at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 13, 2016.
USA gold medalist Michael Phelps holds the U.S. flag after the podium ceremony of the men’s swimming 4x100m Medley Relay Final at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 13, 2016. MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images

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Phelps’ latest revelation clears up some rumors. At the time, sports fans thought that the athlete was annoyed by South African rival Chad le Clos shadowboxing and dancing in front of him.

Unfortunately for Twitter, Phelps’ grumpy face won’t appear at Tokyo’s Olympic Games in 2020. As previously reported, the Olympian officially announced his retirement during a Today show interview on August 15. (He previously retired after the 2012 London Games but began practicing for Rio in 2014.)

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“Done, done, done — and this time I mean it. I wanted to come back and finish my career how I wanted, and this was the cherry on top of the cake,” Phelps told Today’s Matt Lauer. “I’m done. I’m finished. I’m retired. I’m done. No more.”

Up next, Phelps is looking forward to growing his family and planning his wedding. He and his fiancée, Nicole Johnson, are parents of a 3-month-old son, Boomer Phelps.  

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