The truth of whether or not Vice-President Mike Pence offered to meet with U.S. figure skater Adam Rippon, one of the first openly gay U.S. Olympic athletes, remains fuzzy. But one thing’s clear: Rippon is over it. “I personally don’t have anything to say to Mike Pence,” he told Good Morning America hours after his flawless Olympic debut in the team skate. “I’m very lucky because legislation that he’s pushed hasn’t affected my life at all. I spoke out because there are people whose lives have been affected by changes he’s tried to make. I spoke out for them because right now I have a voice … That’s a conversation for them.” Coming into the Olympics, Rippon was critical of Pence’s poor record on gay rights, which led to Pence, who attended the opening ceremony, tweeting him not to believe “fake news.”
Rippon does, however, have shade for the Olympic judges who placed his applauded, clean performance third behind two skaters who fell in their routines. “I think we need to get those people who think that I was ripped off on a judging panel immediately. Maybe before the individual competition.” What else does Rippon have to say? Tons about his cute new friend and fellow openly gay U.S. athlete Gus Kenworthy, cheap Target wine, and, of course, Reese Witherspoon.
