What happened to Mike Tirico? Why 'under the weather' NBC host stepped away from Kentucky Derby coverage

Dan Treacy

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What happened to Mike Tirico? Why 'under the weather' NBC host stepped away from Kentucky Derby coverage image

Mike Tirico has earned a reputation as a jack-of-all-trades personality for NBC, handling everything from "Sunday Night Football" to the Olympics, the Kentucky Derby and golf coverage.

As NBC started up its pre-race coverage before the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, however, viewers noticed something was a little bit off with Tirico, whose voice was weak early in the broadcast.

Soon after, Tirico was replaced on air by Ahmed Fareed. 

Here's what you need to know about Tirico's status and whether he will return. 

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What happened to Mike Tirico?

Fareed said Tirico was feeling "under the weather" and had to step away from NBC's on-site studio coverage. He did not specify whether Tirico was planning to return before the race.

Tirico appeared to be dealing with cold-like symptoms during the first hour of NBC's coverage in the rainy weather, and viewers noticed his voice wasn't as strong as it usually is. 

Tirico doesn't call the Kentucky Derby itself, as that role is reserved for Larry Collmus. Collmus has gotten the opportunity to call several historic moments in recent derby history, including Maximum Security's disqualification in 2019 and Rich Strike's 80-1 upset in 2022. 

The 58-year-old Tirico, best known as the voice of "Sunday Night Football," is coming off a bustling year that saw him cover the Olympics from Paris before the NFL season started up. He's also set to host NBC's coverage of the U.S. Open and Open Championship in the summer. 

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Dan Treacy

Dan Treacy is a content producer for Sporting News, joining in 2022 after graduating from Boston University. He founded @allsportsnews on Instagram in 2012 and has written for Lineups and Yardbarker.