Colin Jost Waves Goodbye to Olympics Surfing Correspondent Role

The comedian experienced a challenging start to his correspondent role in Tahiti, suffering a toe injury upon arriving on the French Polynesian island.

WASHINGTON — Colin Jost abruptly exited NBC’s Olympics surfing coverage in Tahiti this past weekend.

The “Saturday Night Live” star, who was responsible for covering the surfing tournament, left for reasons not disclosed. Australian sources report that Jost was summoned back to New York amidst a two-day competition break due to low surf conditions.

Australian weatherman Luke Bradman stepped in to fill Jost’s spot during the final days of the contest.

On Monday, Jost appeared to address his early exit indirectly through an Instagram post as the semifinals and finals commenced. “Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. Semis and finals of Olympic surfing happening right now in Tahiti. At the Wall of Skulls,” he captioned a pre-recorded segment.

Jost, 42, faced obstacles from the start, injuring his toe shortly after landing. “You know it’s going great when you’ve been to the Olympic medical tent more than any of the athletes,” Jost quipped on Instagram, showing a picture of his bandaged toes.

He humorously alluded to the injury in another post: “This might ruin my WikiFeet score but I just arrived in Tahiti for the surfing Olympics and the reef was excited to greet me,” displaying his bloodied foot.

In a conversation with Mike Tirico, the “Weekend Update” anchor clarified that the injury occurred while surfing. “I did pretty well until the first wave and then I ended up standing on the coral reef,” Jost recounted. “Much like the coral reef safety expert, but without coral shoes on. So I got a little scraped up.”

The injury led Jost to frequent the medical tent, becoming well-acquainted with the staff. “At this point, they know my name. They’re very familiar with my badge ID number,” he shared with Maria Taylor in another segment. “They know I’m allergic to penicillin.”

Further expanding on his condition, Jost mentioned to Tirico on July 30 that he had developed an inner ear infection and was undergoing treatment with three different medications. “My new goal by the time I leave here is to have as many infections as there are Olympic events,” he joked.

Jost was gone by the time the competition resumed.