NBCU Local’s Multiplatform Podcast Series Returns Jan. 15 to Showcase Team USA’s Most Inspiring Milan Cortina Olympic Athletes
Click Here to Subscribe to Season 6 of the Award-Winning ‘My New Favorite’ Franchise
NEW YORK – Dec. 16, 2025 – NBCUniversal Local today announced that Olympic figure skating medalist and media figure Adam Rippon and Emmy-winning journalist Chase Cain will host the new season of the multiplatform podcast My New Favorite Olympian. The award-winning series returns Jan. 15 to showcase Team USA’s most inspiring athletes expected to participate in the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games.
My New Favorite Olympian provides in-depth narratives profiling established and emerging American stars who have overcome adversity, broken barriers, and committed to helping others as they pursue Olympic glory. Each 15 to 20-minute audio and video episode focuses on a different Olympic hopeful and includes interviews with the athletes, experts, and those closest to them, including family members.
As a member of Team USA, Rippon won bronze at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics. He also earned gold at the 2016 U.S. Championships and 2010 Four Continents Championships. Since retiring from competition, he has become a prominent media personality, winning Dancing with the Stars and authoring the memoir Beautiful on the Outside. He was named by Time as one of the ‘100 Most Influential People of 2018.’
“Participating in the Olympics can be a wonderful platform for those who are committed to making a difference and helping others, and this series shines a light on them before the competition gets underway,” said Rippon. “It’s a real privilege to contribute to this project and share the fascinating stories of several tremendous athletes who’ll be representing our country in Italy. I’ll be rooting for them all to bring home medals”
Cain, also a first-time co-host of My New Favorite Olympian, serves as meteorologist and climate editor for NBCU Local, leading climate-focused content across NBC- and Telemundo-owned stations’ TV, streaming and digital platforms. His reporting and analysis, which spotlights key environmental issues, has taken him to locations across the globe – including the Paris 2024 and Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
“We rightfully admire Olympians for their talents and the tremendous dedication that’s allowed them to rise to the top of their chosen sport, but there’s often so much more to their stories,” said Cain. “I’m honored to help introduce some remarkable individuals whose personal character, passions and pursuits are just as compelling and inspiring as their athletic accomplishments as they take one of the world’s largest stages in February.”
The new six-part season of My New Favorite Olympian will publish new episodes from Jan. 15 through Feb. 5, leading up to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony on Feb. 6. The series will return March 5 for an episode highlighting a Paralympian for the second time in series history, following the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympics. Acura is a supporter of My New Favorite Olympian and an official partner of Team USA.
My New Favorite Olympian will be available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple, Spotify, TuneIn and iHeart. Video content from the series will be presented across NBC-owned stations’ and NBC Sports Regional Networks’ TV, streaming and digital platforms. A trailer for the new season will be released on Jan. 8, along with information on the athletes and schedule. Listeners can now subscribe to the podcast here.
This is the sixth season of the My New Favorite franchise, which since 2021 has featured athletes in the Summer and Winter Olympics as My New Favorite Olympian, and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup as My New Favorite Futbolista. Previous Olympic installments have profiled athletes surrounding the Paris 2024 and Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, and the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.
The most recent season of My New Favorite Olympian, a seven-partParis 2024 series, was led by 12-time Olympic medalist swimmer Natalie Coughlin. Olympic legend Apolo Ohno (Beijing 2022) and Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad (Tokyo 2020) served as hosts for the first two seasons. My New Favorite Futbolista was anchored by soccer stars Janelly Farías and Meghan Klingenberg in 2023 and Juan Pablo Ángel in 2022.
The My New Favorite franchise has earned numerous awards and accolades. This year, My New Favorite Olympian was named ‘Best Olympics & Paralympics Podcast’ at the Sports Podcast Awards and won ‘Best Spoken Word Series’ at the Cynopsis Sports Media Awards. The series also won two Signal Awards for its Beijing 2022 season and was named ’Best Podcast Series’ at the 2022 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards.
My New Favorite Futbolista covering the FIFA Women’s World Cup earned a 2024 Digiday Video & TV Award for ‘Best Video Podcast’ and a 2024 Cynopsis Sports Media Award for ‘Best Spoken Word Series.’ The FIFA Men’s World Cup edition won a 2023 Cynopsis Sports Media Award, earned bronze at the Signal Awards and was a finalist for ‘Best Soccer Podcast’ at the 2023 Sports Podcast Awards.
ABOUT NBCUNIVERSAL LOCAL
NBCUniversal Local, part of NBCUniversal News Group, is comprised of more than 50 media properties, including local TV stations and regional sports networks that deliver English and Spanish-speaking audiences in 30 U.S. markets and Puerto Rico comprehensive news, weather, consumer and investigative reporting, lifestyle and entertainment content, and live sports across TV, streaming and digital platforms. NBCUniversal Local consists of three media groups – NBC Owned Television Stations, NBC Sports Regional Networks and Telemundo Station Group – plus multicast networks COZI TV, TeleXitos and American Crimes, regional cable news network NECN, and 16 free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels – including 11 NBC local news, four Telemundo regional news channels and NBC LX Home. NBCUniversal Local also features NBC Spot On, an advanced CTV and OTT advertising platform; LXTV Productions; marketing and promotions company Skycastle; out-of-home business NBC Everywhere; and The Arthouse, a graphic design group.
###
MEDIA CONTACT
Brian Potter
Brian.Potter@nbcuni.com
