Gabriella Papadakis opens up on NBC exit before Milano Cortina Olympics and the cost of speaking out in sports

Gabriella Papadakis did not expect her new chapter to end before it even began. The Olympic ice dance champion had just stepped into television after retiring from skating. She was excited. She was ready. And then, just weeks before the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, everything changed. Papadakis, who retired in December 2024, joined NBC in 2025 as an ice dance commentator. She was named as one of the 82 on-air personalities set to cover the Milano Cortina Games. But shortly before the Olympics, NBC quietly removed her from the broadcast team.At the time, no clear reason was shared publicly. Now, Papadakis has finally spoken. In a recent statement, she confirmed that NBC’s decision came after a legal dispute linked to her newly released memoir. According to Papadakis, the network feared legal and public backlash from her former skating partner. The decision ended her Olympic broadcasting role before it officially began.The controversy centers on Papadakis’ French memoir, released in mid-January. In the book, Papadakis openly discusses her life, her skating career, and her long partnership with Guillaume Cizeron. She describes the relationship as difficult at times and writes that she felt controlled and under pressure during their years together.Cizeron strongly denied the claims. Through his lawyers, he took legal steps to stop what he called false and damaging accusations. In a public response, he said, “In the face of this smear campaign, I want to express my incomprehension and disagreement with the labels attributed to me.”Soon after, NBC Sports removed Papadakis from its Olympic commentary team. In a statement, NBC said, “We respect Gabriella’s right to tell the story of her life and career. At the same time, her new book creates a clear conflict of interest.”Papadakis says she understands the network’s fear but believes the issue goes much deeper. “NBC made that decision because they were afraid of attacks from my former partner,” she said. “The real problem is societal. How is it that people who speak out about violence are penalized, rather than those who commit it?”She also made clear that her book was never meant as a personal attack. Instead, she wanted to start a wider talk about power, pressure, and silence in elite sports. “I knew writing this book would affect my career,” Papadakis said. “For people who speak out against systems of oppression, it rarely ends well.”For Papadakis, the cost was deeply personal. Losing the NBC role came just as she believed life after skating was finally beginning.