Saturday Night Live's Colin Jost Will Cover Olympic Surfing for NBC in Tahiti

Sep 17, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Colin Jost (L) and Michael Che at the end of the 70th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater.
Sep 17, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Colin Jost (L) and Michael Che at the end of the 70th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater. / Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY NETWO

Surfing at this year's Olympics will have an unusual American commentator to go with its unusual venue.

Comedian Colin Jost of Saturday Night Live will provide commentary for NBC's coverage of the sport over four yet-to-be-determined days from July 27 to August 5, the network announced Wednesday morning. Surfing for the Paris Olympics will take place in Teahupo'o on Tahiti in French Polynesia, a French dependency.

That is, for those of you keeping score at home, a locale about 9,800 miles away from the French capital.

“I’m honored to get to watch the best surfers in the world compete on one of the heaviest waves imaginable, and to help showcase the rich history of surfing in Tahiti,” Jost said in an NBC release. “And my Writer’s Guild health insurance is excited to see what the coral reef does to my back.”

Jost, a 14-time Emmy nominee and avid surfer, will join veteran surfing announcer Joe Turpel and Hall of Fame surfer Michael Parsons on the call for the shortboard event.


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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .