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Leslie Jones’ Enthusiastic Olympic Tweets Pay Off: ‘I’m Going to Rio’

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: | Updated on June 28, 2018 CommentsComments (0)
Leslie Jones (Twitter)

Leslie Jones (Twitter)

Comedian Leslie Jones has earned a ticket to Rio. The “Saturday Night Live” star was invited to cover the Olympic Games after her series of enthusiastic tweets about the events. Jones had been tweeting about the Games since Friday night’s opening ceremony, but her posts did not gain heavy traction until yesterday. The star has recorded herself wrapped in the American flag, complete with a matching shirt and leggings and celebrating wins for Team USA.

Jones has been keeping up with events either on television or online via a four-way split screen. She has cheered on athletes in events from swimming to beach volleyball. Her praise for 22-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams was retweeted more than 500 times.

The “Ghostbusters” star‘s actions caught the attention of NBC producer Mike Shoemaker over the weekend. On Saturday, he tweeted Olympics executive producer Jim Bell seeking an invite for Jones to fly to Rio. Then, Bell made it happen.

https://twitter.com/jfb/status/762145655003295744

Jones accepted the invitation and confirmed her participation in event coverage with a series of tweets Monday afternoon.

“Guess who’s going to Rio?” she sang in her first reveal of the news.

“All right, so you know I’m going to Rio,” she said in her next video.  ” ‘Cause we slay all day, slay all day, USA!”

Jones began packing a couple of hours later.

And promised her followers she’d share everything with them – both good and bad.

“Starting this Friday, Jones will attend live Olympic events, including swimming, track and field, gymnastics and beach volleyball; meet athletes and spread her passion for sports and the Olympics on-air and online,” NBC said in a statement.

“We’re thrilled to have Leslie come to the Olympics. She’s a member of the family,” Bell said referring to SNL’s home on NBC. “And her passion for the Olympics is remarkable.”

Last month, the actress was forced to stay off Twitter after a barrage of racist messages flooded her timeline. She returned a short time later and has been back in full force for the Olympics.

Jones shared she loves the Games because of the unity of the competition.

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