One headline that continued to surface heading into the Winter Olympics was a feud that garnered quite a bit of national attention between openly gay Team USA figure skater Adam Rippon and vice president Mike Pence.
When it was announced Pence would lead the American delegation in South Korea, Rippon expressed his disapproval and said he had no interest in meeting the vice president in Pyeongchang.
“If it were before my event, I would absolutely not go out of my way to meet somebody who I felt has gone out of their way to not only show that they aren’t a friend of a gay person but that they think that they’re sick,” Rippon told USA Today prior to the Olympics.
After Rippon's Olympic debut, where he helped Team USA secure a bronze medal in the team skate competition, Tirico asked the figure skater if the feud distracted him in his preparation for the Olympics.
"You came out as openly gay in October of 2015. There have been a lot of stories written about that including the vice president’s involvement. But you’ve said you’re not going to let it be a distraction," Tirico said during NBC's broadcast. "That’s a lot to say. How about doing it in practice? Has it distracted you in any way?”
Rippon was quick to respond, revealing the added drama and media attention didn't affect his focus on figure skating.
“You know, I've worked my entire life for this moment. But more than that, my mom has always taught me to stand up for what I believe in, and that has given my skating a greater purpose," Rippon said. "So I go out there and I’m not only representing myself, I’m representing my coaches, I’m representing my country and I’m representing my teammates. So I remember that and that’s how I stay focused.”