Cheering from the sidelines. After Leslie Jones claimed she was “blocked” from commenting on the Olympics on social media, NBC has released a statement explaining and rectifying their gaffe.
“This was the result of a third-party error, and the situation has been resolved,” an NBC spokesperson told Us Weekly on Tuesday, February 8. “She is free to do her social media posts as she has done in the past. She is a super fan of the Olympics, and we are super fans of her.”
One day earlier, the Ghostbusters star, 54, called out the network across her socials and expressed her frustration about her voice being stifled.
“I m [sic] starting to feel like this should be my last olympics I live tweet. I know, I know, another celebrity bitching,” Jones shared on Instagram and Twitter, adding an eye-roll emoji. “But I’m tired of fighting the folks who don’t want me to do it. They block my videos and they get folks who think they can do it like me. And i’m tired of fighting them,” the comedian continued. “I love the athletes and they love me doing it. And I know y’all love it. But now it’s just gotten too hard. And no one is fighting for or with me. Soooo I guess I’ll leave it to the professionals. But thank you for all the love. #uptoyallnow.”
Jones captioned the written statement, “Leslie Jones does not stay anywhere I’m not welcomed.” She also repeated the hashtag “#uptoyallnow.”
When fans asked how they can best remedy the situation, Jones repeatedly called out NBC on Twitter.
“It’s not the hate it’s nbc,” she tweeted in response to one person’s reaction.
Jones, who famously starred on the network as a cast member and writer on Saturday Night Live, took social media by storm nearly six years ago when her commentary of the 2016 Rio Olympics went viral. Her hilarious reactions were so beloved that NBC even flew her down to Brazil to comment on the events on television.
While Jones has now made herself an Olympic fixture, her outspoken nature has always been a crucial part of her identity. “I give no f—ks, that’s the best and worst quality of my personality,” she told Us Weekly in 2017.
And part of what makes her the perfect sports commentator is her love for Netflix and chill. “My favorite place in the world is on the couch in front of the TV,” she told Us at the time.
