Al Roker Slams Tonya Harding At The 2018 Golden Globe Awards
Tonya Harding made an appearance at the 75th annual Golden Globes to engage in celebrations for the nominations of I, Tonya. The former Olympic figure ice skater soon became a punchline as Al Roker joked about Tonya Harding having a crowbar, according to the Miami Herald. The 63-year-old NBC commentator spotted Harding and joked about her history involving Nancy Kerrigan, “There’s Tonya! She’s got a pipe! Get her!”
In the movie, Harding’s character said the nation’s reaction following Nancy Kerrigan’s attack created another cycle of abuse for her. According to Tonya’s character, the public soon became her attackers as they turned her entire life and experience on ice into one big punchline.
Tonya Harding attended the Golden Globe awards with the cast of I, Tonya. Margot Robbie constructed the biopic which explored the turbulent life of Tonya Harding before, during, and after the 1994 attack on Nancy Kerrigan.
I, Tonya was nominated for three Golden Globes including best picture (comedy or musical). Allison Janney won the Golden Globe for best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a motion picture for I, Tonya. Janney thanked Tonya Harding for sharing her story.
“What I love about this movie… what this movie did is tell a story about class in America, tell a story about the disenfranchised, tell the story about a woman who was not embraced for her individuality, tell a story about truth and the perception of truth in the media and truths we all tell ourselves…. It’s an extraordinary movie and I’m so proud of it.”
The release of I, Tonya brought attention back to the infamous skater 24 years after her rival, Nancy Kerrigan, was clubbed in the knee by assailants who were hired by Tonya’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly.
The movie captured the nation’s attention and has once again catapulted the 1994 Winter Olympics catastrophe into the headlines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQGnBOiW1Dg
Harding opened up to the Hollywood Reporter and discussed her participation in the film. Tonya said that she was grateful that Steven Rogers, the film’s screenwriter, approached her before production began.
“I was like, ‘I don’t want to go through this again. I’ve been through enough, and I have my son now.’ Michael Rosenberg, my manager, talked me into doing this possibly as closure… I was so nervous to watch it, but when I saw it, I wasn’t watching a movie about me. I was watching Margot, and then I went, ‘Oh my goodness. That’s about me.'”
Tonya said that she took up skating again in so she could prepare for being back in the spotlight, according to People magazine.
“She’s eating well and has lost some weight. She’s getting in shape and is even skating again. She’s really excited about this.”
Today in 1994, #NancyKerrigan was attacked by a man hired by #TonyaHarding's former husband, Jeff Gillooly, & bodyguard, Shawn Eckhardt. Harding received 3 years probation, 500 hours community service, a $160,000 fine, and was forced to resign from U.S. Figure Skating Assoc. pic.twitter.com/vx77cx1CTx
— Investigation Discovery (@DiscoveryID) January 6, 2018
Al Roker also had an interesting interaction with Mariah Carey on the red carpet at the Golden Globes.
Mariah Carey, 47, had to remind Roker that this was her first-ever songwriting nomination at the Golden Globes. The Today show host asked Carey if she ever gets tired of racking up so many accolades.
“I have never been nominated for a Golden Globe as a songwriter… And many times men forget that women also write songs and I’m really excited about it because of that.”
As for Tonya Harding, she is reminded as she celebrates Golden Globe nominations for I, Tonya, that this Saturday marks the 24th anniversary of the attack.
