Johnny Weir says there was one thing NBC said he couldn't wear on-air
Johnny Weir has made daily headlines with what he chooses to wear on-air, but there's one thing the figure skating analyst says that NBC asked him to not wear on camera in Sochi.
Fur.
While Weir has reportedly brought four fur coats to Russia and posted Instagram pictures of him wearing them, he has complied with NBC's requests while working skating's daytime shift on NBC Sports Network.
"We've been having conversations since the fall about how I was going to appear in Sochi," Weir told Billy Bush of Access Hollywood this week. "They said go for it, do whatever you want, just on our air, no fur. And that's something I can understand.
"I said I don't think it's really appropriate [to wear fur on the air]. Fur is a very distinct decision that a person makes, they support it or don't. I don't want to be in a position to throw [NBC] under the bus if people get upset."
Weir is no stranger to the controversy that comes with being a public figure who wears fur. He drew protests in 2010 when he wore a small amount of fox fur in the U.S. national championships. Weir pledged not to wear any while competing in the 2010 Vancouver Games after he received threats to have his routines interrupted.
"I've had death threats before Vancouver from fur activists; I've been protested by fur activists," Weir told Bush. "Every bad thing that can come of wearing fur, I've had."
Despite that, Weir says he will continue to wear fur away from his day job. In fact, he admitted to Bush that the fur he was wearing during their interview was indeed real.
"It's a personal choice. It's something that I like," he said. "Some people see a Mercedes or a diamond as the luxury item that means you made it. For some reason, I saw it as a fur coat ... It's not about houses or cars for me, it's about looking good. And fur is a part of that mix."
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