Shaun White roasted over ‘narcissistic’ Winter Olympics opening ceremony commentary

The three-time Olympic gold medalist co-hosted NBC’s opening ceremony broadcast alongside Mary Carillo and Terry Gannon

Viewers of NBC’s Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony broadcast were not impressed by snowboarding legend Shaun White’s commentary on Friday.

The three-time Olympic gold medalist joined veteran sports commentator Mary Carillo and NBC Sports’ Terry Gannon for the network’s broadcast from the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, while rapper Snoop Dogg, stationed in Cortina, interviewed Team USA flag bearer Frank Del Duca and members of the Jamaican bobsledding team.

The opening ceremony included performances by global music icons Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli, alongside appearances from actress Sabrina Impacciatore (The White Lotus) and pianist Lang Lang.

However, viewers were angered by White’s repeated references to his own career and travels throughout the ceremony.

“I was so thrilled to hear that Italy was taking on this Olympics, just because I had such an incredible time [in 2006] and I knew this would deliver on that magnitude. To be back here 20 years later is just incredible,” he said during the broadcast.

Shaun White’s commentary on the 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony did not go down well with NBC viewers (Getty Images for Macy's)

Shaun White comments on X (X)

Shaun White comments (X)

On the Olympics subreddit, a post titled “OK, we get it, Shaun White has been to every one of these countries,” has drawn hundreds of upvotes and comments.

“What, are you saying you didn't tune in to listen to all of Shaun White's Best Memories?” one commenter asked sarcastically.

“It’s all about Shaun,” added another.

“Seriously, he thinks he’s doing an interview about himself,” a third agreed.

“Pretty incredible what a narcissist he is. Instead of talking about and celebrating all the countries and athletes competing, he's making it about himself. Over and over and over,” wrote a fourth.

On X, too, viewers criticized White’s presenting style.

“Why is the Olympics opening ceremony just Shaun White talking about his world travels,” one person asked.

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“Can someone please tell Shaun White to stop talking! We don't need to hear about your glory days or that you've been to a lot of countries or that you've never been to India but love Indian food. Great athlete not a great commentator,” another opined.

“Is Shaun White just using the opening ceremony to flex how cool his life is whenever a new country shows up?” a third joked.

The Independent has contacted White’s representatives for comment.

The snowboarding champion wasn’t the only American to face criticism during the opening ceremony on Friday.

Carey’s performance also came under intense scrutiny as viewers accused the Grammy-winning artist of lip-syncing.

Mariah Carey was criticized for her ‘lacklustre’ performance at the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony (PA Wire)

Wearing a wintery silver-and-white dress, Carey stood under a single spotlight as she sang a version of Domenico Modugno’s popular 1950s classic “Nel blu, dipinto di blu”, better known as “Volare,” before jumping into her song “Nothing Is Impossible” from her 2025 album, Here For It All.

However, on social media, fans criticized her performance and questioned why the New York-born artist had been selected to perform in Italy.

“Is Mariah Carey part Italian? I’m not sure why an American singer is there, unless, maybe she’s super popular in Italy?” one person asked on X.

“Usually the host country only features talent from their country. Great Britain had Bowie, Annie Lennox, & others… don’t recall any American singers,” another pointed out.

The theme of this year’s opening ceremony was “Harmony” to represent the two Italian cities that serve as 2026 hosts: Milan and the mountain town of Cortina d’Ampezzo.

This year’s Winter Olympics will run until the closing ceremony on February 22 with 116 medal events across the 19 days in Italy.