When you think about it, Olympic athletes are some of the strangest celebrities of the modern world. That’s because their fame is largely limited to their appearances at major international events. When you’re in the Olympics, you’re a household name, but then everyone forgets about you until the next event. Eventually, age catches up with even the best Olympians, and they are suddenly forced to retire from both the game and from their lives as celebrities.
That’s why we decided to catch up with some of the most overlooked Olympians of all: figure skaters. These are the athletes who once dazzled us with their style and unforgettable moves only to disappear from our national imagination altogether. Who are these former figure skater stars? What did they accomplish, and what are they up to now?
Keep reading to find out!
Johnny Weir: from skater to star
If you keep up with the Olympics, then you may have spent a long time following the career of Johnny Weir. He started skating at the tender age of 12 and showed immense talent; that very same year, he qualified for the Junior Olympics. In 2006, he made his proper Olympic debut at the Winter Games in Italy. There, he finished fifth in figure skating; in 2010, at the Winter Games in Vancouver, he finished sixth.
Weir retired from figure skating in 2013, but it turns out that he wasn’t quite ready to give up the limelight. In 2014, his ample experience as a skater helped him become an NBC analyst for the Winter Games in Sochi. In 2020, he made a surprise appearance on Dancing With The Stars. Along the way, he became an occasional correspondent for major events such as the Kentucky Derby before returning to reality television with the breakout NBC Peacock show The Traitors.
Kitty and Peter Carruthers: from silver medals to golden years
If you were born in the ‘70s or earlier, you may remember Kitty and Peter Carruthers as figure skating aces who captured the imagination of millions. They are adopted siblings who made a major splash at the 1984 Winter Olympics, ultimately bringing home silver medals on behalf of their country. This win was effectively the high point of their athletic careers, though they would eventually switch to professional skating and win the Challenge of Champions in three separate years: 1985, 1989, and 1992.
These two made it clear over 30 years ago that they wouldn’t be returning to compete in the 1994 Olympics or any future events. So, what have they been up to lately? Kitty Carruthers has settled into a quiet family life in Texas with her husband and their four children. Peter, meanwhile, has stayed connected to figure skating by serving as a professional TV analyst.
While these two plucky siblings never competed again, that doesn’t mean they were done with figure skating. In 1999, they were inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame, and they appeared on the ice together for the first time in decades at the 2013 P&G & Walmart Tribute to American Legends of the Ice.
Brian Boitano: from lunges to lounging
Even if you’re not a figure skating fanatic, you’re probably familiar with Brian Boitano. After all, his name was once memorably immortalized in South Park as a mythic figure with his own impossibly catchy song. Of course, you might also recognize Boitano from his major figure skating accomplishments: While he “only” got fifth place at his Olympic debut (the 1984 Games in Sarajevo), he won the gold in men’s singles at the 1988 Calgary Olympics, and he competed one more time in 1994. Sadly, he didn’t place at that Norway event, but he kept busy afterward by showcasing his skills in assorted worldwide tours.
After traveling the globe like that, Brian Boitano settled down, eventually opening Boitano’s Lounge in Lincoln, Nebraska. In case you’re wondering, that doesn’t mean that he has completely left the world of figure skating behind him. In fact, he will be hosting USA Today’s official podcast for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy!
Scott Hamilton: from survivor to hero
Compared to other figure skaters on this list, Scott Hamilton has had a very sad story. Don’t worry, though: it has a happy ending that may completely change how you see this awesome athlete! Hamilton grew up with a variety of health conditions, but this didn’t keep him from mastering ice skating; when he made his debut at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, he got fifth place. When he returned to the Olympics in 1984 in Sarajevo, he took home the gold in men’s singles figure skating and subsequently retired from Olympic competition.
Off the ice, he has faced major challenges, including being diagnosed with testicular cancer. He overcame that, but he was later diagnosed with multiple benign brain tumors and received multiple brain surgeries. In 2014, he took the fight to cancer by founding the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation, whose mission is to “fund innovative, patient-centered, targeted treatments that fight cancer while preserving quality of life.” Fortunately for this hero’s many fans, he’ll be returning to the Olympics as an analyst covering the 2026 Winter Games in Italy!