With the Winter Olympics now over, NFL legend Boomer Esiason spoke about Gu, the American-born freestyle skier who competes for China and finished her 2026 Milano Cortina campaign with three medals. However, instead of focusing on her achievements, Esiason criticized Gu for her post-event interviews.

“It’s not just about the money, though. She’s very attractive and extremely bright. She went to Stanford, but if you listen to her post-competition interviews, she can be insufferable,” Boomer Esiason said on his Boomer & Gio podcast. “It’s hard to listen to. Then again, it’s an individual sport, and she talks about herself rather than about teammates or the support system that she received. If you listen to her, you’re like, ‘what?’”

Esiason and his co-host Gregg Giannotti both disagreed with the fact that a reporter commended her for appearing to consistently deliver the “right” answers during interviews. Here’s what happened: “Do you think before you speak?” a reporter asked Gu, appreciating the fact that the athlete is so quick and comprehensive. The journalist simply wanted to know how Gu managed to do so.

“I’m a very introspective young woman,” Gu responded with a smile. “I spend a lot of time in my head. I think I apply a very analytical lens to my own thinking.”

However, Esiason would only partially agree with this perspective.

“She’s exceptionally bright. She has her answers, she knows how she’s gonna answer things, that’s for sure. But nobody’s really asked her a tough question,” Esiason mentioned, adding that no one questioned her about the Chinese government or the money she allegedly received from them.

Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Eileen Gu and fellow American-born skater Zhu Yi were paid a combined $6.6 million by Beijing’s sports authority in 2025, with their total earnings nearing $14 million over three years, and that report clearly struck a nerve with Boomer Esiason. Speaking on his radio show, Esiason took a sharp jab, questioning how a communist country could pay an athlete to serve as what he framed as capitalist-style propaganda.

Compensation for athletes competing within China’s state-run system is not unusual. However, details surrounding such payments are typically kept tightly under wraps. All that said, Gu’s citizenship is a mystery.

Although Eileen Gu needed Chinese citizenship to represent China, the specifics of her nationality status have never been fully clarified. Raised in the United States, she initially competed under the American flag as a teenager. China, however, does not recognize dual citizenship, adding further intrigue to her situation.

As per WSJ, in 2022, Red Bull published a note on its website indicating that Gu had renounced her U.S. passport and obtained Chinese nationality. After the journal sought clarification about her citizenship, the information was removed from the company’s site, and Red Bull did not provide further comment.

While Eileen Gu continues to break barriers and script Olympic history while winning three medals at the Winter Games in Milano Cortina, Boomer Esiason is not a fan of her. It’s a polarizing opinion. So, it goes without saying that not everyone agrees with his views.

Former ESPN producer hits back at Boomer Esiason after Olympics rant

Before calling out Eileen Gu, Boomer Esiason faced backlash for his previous rant about the Team USA Olympians who questioned the Donald Trump administration during the Winter Games. The former NFL MVP’s comments came up after halfpipe skier Hunter Hess and freestyle skier Chris Lillis expressed their displeasure with the United States at the start of the Winter Olympics.

“They seem to be happy to represent America,” Esiason said. “Not everybody is, but everybody should just pipe down and just do their sport, play for our country, respect the flag, and respect everything that’s going on.”

However, this reaction from Esiason wasn’t well-received by former ESPN producer Mike Ryan, who called out the former NFL player during an appearance on the Dan Le Batard Show.

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“You [Esiason] sit on the sidelines when Nick Bosa wears a MAGA hat on the postgame, where is the same energy?” Ryan said earlier this month. “A lot of people aren’t exactly thrilled with how things are going in this country. They [Olympic athletes] are using their one moment, in most cases, to highlight that, because that is universally American. And you want them to shut up? Quit being a [expletive], Boomer Esiason. Put your name to it. Say what you [expletive] mean!”

Eileen Gu’s three-medal performance at the 2026 Winter Games was remarkable by any standard. Yet the spotlight briefly shifted to Boomer Esiason’s critical remarks about her interviews, which many found unfair.