Amidst all the controversies of this year’s Olympic Games, hosted in Paris, was Snoop Dogg. He’s the legendary American rapper, known for smoking a certain kind of cigarette, who surprised the world during the opening ceremony as a torchbearer. Snoop carried the Olympic torch through the northern Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis.
He’s been spotted wearing wild Olympic ring-themed glasses, and most lucratively for him, served as a special correspondent for NBC throughout the games. He interviewed big names throughout the event, he spoke to the athletes, and he even showed off his dance moves during the gymnastics competition.
He showed off his dance moves to a horse, too. Envision this: Snoop dressed in horseback riding gear, complete with helmet and tall socks, dancing with a horse who looks just as thrilled as he is.
And if you thought Snoop was doing all of this out of his love for the sport…well, think again. Reports this week revealed that NBC paid an eye-watering $500,000 per day for reporting on the games – and that doesn’t include the extra benefits, including his daily hotel and food expenses. The leaked numbers come from Henry McNamara, a young entrepreneur who has been covered by Forbes. European outlets also leaked the details, with one German outlet – Bild – claiming that Snoop could be paid as much as $15 million for his work during the Games.
It’s a lot of money, sure, but NBC can afford it, having secured a deal worth nearly $6 billion with the International Olympic Committee back in 2014. The deal runs through to 2032, so NBC has plenty of reasons to make hay while the sun shines. And they know that Snoop Dogg converts, too. Back in 2021, Snoop joined comedian Kevin Hart for a Peacock-exclusive commentary of the Tokyo games, during which the pair pulled in tens of millions of views.
Snoop certainly raked it in this year, but it looks like he had fun – and so did the viewers.
