Leslie Jones’ Olympics tweets land her an official NBC invite to Rio
Unlike her experience earlier in the summer, Twitter seems to be bringing “Ghostbusters†actress Leslie Jones good fortune instead of bad, now that the 2016 Summer Olympics have arrived.
Just a few short weeks after the comedian was driven off Twitter by the invective of Internet trolls angry about the all-woman reboot of 1984’s “Ghostbusters,†Jones has found support and success with her enthusiastic live tweeting of the opening days of the Rio Olympics.
Jones’ tweets center around snippets of video that feature her narrating or cheering on Olympic events, often on multiple screens throughout her home.
Some of Jones’ tweets are basic patriotic cheerleading, with the “Saturday Night Live†star outfitted from head to toe in the stars and stripes.
Others focus on the events, with Jones feeling particularly passionate about the women’s gymnastics team.
Or just any sport where the United States is putting on a clinic for the rest of the world, like whenever Katie Ledecky is in the water.
Her Twitter presence hasn’t gone unnoticed, particularly by fans who have bemoaned the state of NBC’s tape-delayed coverage, as Jones’ tweets have garnered thousands of retweets and favorites, resulting in a decidedly prominent individual at NBC reaching out to Jones.
Spurred by the recommendation of longtime “Saturday Night Live†producer and current “Late Night With Seth Meyers†scribe Mike Shoemaker, Jim Bell, the executive producer of NBC’s Olympics coverage, extended an invitation to Jones to join them in Rio de Janeiro.
Despite Jones’ initial skepticism, Bell assured her that his offer was the real deal, forcing Jones to pose an important question to her Twitter followers.
It would appear negotiations with NBC went well, based on a series of tweets from Jones on Monday afternoon, in which the actress appears to be heading to Brazil imminently.
Representatives for Jones did not immediately respond to a request to comment on Monday morning.
Twitter: @midwestspitfire
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UPDATES:
12:20 p.m.: This article was updated with information and tweets from Jones confirming impending travel to Rio.
This article was originally published at 11:55 a.m.
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