NBC Gets More Phelps on ‘America’s Got Talent’

Swimmer Michael Phelps, who starred in four of NBC’s Olympics, will return to the network Wednesday night as a co-host during a live telecast of America’s Got Talent.

Phelps—who won five gold medals in Rio—owns an all-time record of 23 Olympic gold medals. He hosted NBC’s Saturday Night Live in 2008.

So far this summer, America’s Got Talent is averaging a 3.2 rating in adults 18-49 and 14.1 million viewers overall. It is up 7% from last year, making it the top regularly scheduled show on broadcast this summer.

Another Olympic star, gymnast Simone Biles said she won’t be doing the next edition of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars but told People magazine she wants to compete on the show in the Spring.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.