Stanley Tucci to Join NBC for Coverage of 2026 Winter Olympics

Snoop Dogg, meet Stanley Tucci.

NBCUniversal is bringing on a high-wattage star to help with its coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy’s Milan Cortina region: The acclaimed actor and TV host Stanley Tucci.

Tucci, the host of Nat Geo’s Tucci in Italy and former host of CNN’s Searching for Italy, will feature the food, traditions and culture of northern Italy, where the games will be played, in travelogue style segments for the network. (The news comes after Tucci was mentioned the night prior in Emmys host Nate Bargatze’s opening number.)

“It’s been my passion to learn about the people of Italy by traversing the country and savoring its food. But this time, I’ll have a guest with me — the world,” said Tucci in a statement. “I’m excited to return to northern Italy as the Olympic Games brings the world to its doorstep. What foods will the world fall in love with? What favorites will be uncovered? How will Italy transform with the world as its guest? I’m excited to share it all with the American primetime audience in February.”

“I immediately thought of Stanley when we started planning for Milan,” added Molly Solomon, executive producer for NBC Olympics. “America has an affinity for all things Italian, and with his string of hit shows and best-sellers, Stanley’s now the it guy on Italian culture in our country. His mix of cool curiosity and masterful storytelling makes him the perfect guide to dish on northern Italy’s culinary and cultural treasures. We can’t wait for him to make America hungry in primetime.”

The 2026 Olympics will be featured primarily on NBC and Peacock, though other NBC and Versant channels are expected to have live coverage as well.

Tucci is following in the footsteps of another superstar-turned Olympics correspondent in Snoop Dogg, whose coverage of last year’s Paris Olympics resulted in viral moments and widespread acclaim, though it was part of a strategy by the company to drive engagement and interest from casual viewers. Alex Cooper, Leslie Jones, Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning also contributed to coverage of last year’s games.