Johnny Weir

In 1992, after Weir and his family watched Kristi Yamaguchi win a gold medal at the Albertville Winter Olympics, his parents bought him a pair of used skates, which he used to teach himself to skate on a patch of ice in the cornfields near their home in Quarryville. When the weather was warmer, he practiced jumps on roller skates in the basement of his family's home.[16][14][10] In 1994, he was inspired to further pursue figure skating after watching Oksana Baiul compete at the 1994 Winter Olympics, during the sport's rise in popularity caused by the Nancy Kerrigan attack at the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.[10][17] His parents bought him for Christmas a new pair of skates and a package of group lessons at the University of Delaware, 45 minutes from their home.[18][17] He proved to be a natural at jumping. By the time he was 12, he was performing single Axels, which he learned after a week of lessons; by the time he turned 13, he learned all the single and double jumps, including his first triple jump, the salchow.[17] Also when he was 12, he began training with coach Priscilla Hill.[4] According to sports writer Barry Mittan, Weir was two or three times older than when most elite skaters start training, although it did not "prove to be an obstacle for Weir".[10] He made the decision to quit equestrian, since he could not do both and his family could not afford both sports, and the family moved again, to Delaware, so Weir could train with Hill.[10][19]

Weir competed in both singles and pair skating during his first year of competition; Hill paired him with Jodi Rudden to help him focus on other aspects of figure skating, such as spins, stroking, and artistry, rather than on jumping.[20] Rudden and Weir won the South Atlantic Regionals and qualified for the Junior Olympics in juvenile pairs that first year, and in intermediate pairs the following season.[17][21] Also in his first year of skating (1997), Weir finished fourth as a juvenile in the Junior Olympics and won first place in the South Atlantic Regionals, also as a juvenile.[22] During the 1997—1998 season, he won regional and other minor competitions as a novice, and came in third place in the novice division at the U.S. National Championships. Weir moved up to the Junior level during the 1998—1999 season. Like the previous year, he competed in regional and minor competitions and came in fourth place at the U.S. Nationals.[23] Weir stated that along with his relative inexperience with competing and a growth spurt, he struggled with nerves during this period, which affected his performances.[24]

Weir became eligible to compete in the Junior Grand Prix during the 1999—2000 season, coming in seventh and second place in his two Junior Grand Prix assignments. At the 2000 U.S. Nationals, he was the only competitor in the junior division who attempted a triple axel in the short program, but despite falling, the judges put him in first place. He fell again during his long program, and ended up in fifth place, while Evan Lysacek, in their first meeting in competition, came in first place, even though Lysacek was in fifth after the short program.[23][25] Weir won the Junior Eastern Sectionals in 1999 and 2000. The following season, Weir competed as a senior for the first time, coming in sixth place at the U.S. Nationals despite "a bad hip flexor injury",[26] and winning the Eastern Sectionals as a senior. He was the third alternate at the 2000 Junior Grand Prix final, placing sixth and second at his two Junior Grand Prix assignments, but won, at the age of 16, the gold medal at the World Junior Championships.[23][27] He was the 10th American to win at Junior Worlds and the first American male skater since Derrick Delmore won in 1998. Lysacek won the silver medal; it was the first time since Rudy Galindo and Todd Eldredge in 1987 that American men came in first and second place. Despite falling on the simplest jump in his short program, a triple flip, Weir was placed first going into the free skate. Weir received the best artistic scores, receiving 5.7s for presentation in his long program.[28][29] He came in seventh place and fourth place in his two Grand Prix assignments during the 2001—2002 season, participated in the Goodwill Games and a team pro-am competition, came in fifth place at the 2002 U.S. Nationals, and came in fourth place in the 2002 Four Continents Championships.[23]

In the 2002—2003 season, which figure skating reporter Lou Parees called "disastrous" for Weir,[30] he skated in one international competition, the Finlandia Trophy and withdrew from the Cup of Russia.[23][31] He also withdrew from the 2003 U.S. Championships in Dallas, which gold medalist Michael Weiss called "the most bizarre national championships ever",[32] during his long program. Weir was in second place after the short program, with a clean skate with all eight required elements.[33] He felt confident going into the long program, but hit the rink wall 23 seconds after he started, catching his blade between the ice and wall while doing a "simple crossover".[34] He fell and injured his back, but the referee allowed him to continue where he stopped. He stepped out of his first triple axel and fell again on his second, injuring his knee to the point that he had to withdraw.[32] Philanthropist Helen McLoraine, who had helped support Weir and other skaters financially for many years, died after a fall leaving the rink after a skating session in Dallas, something that added to his sense of "personal failure and...painful loss".[35][36] Weir later reported that due to what he called his "stupidity and hubris",[37] U.S. Figure Skating withdrew their support of him; sports writer Barry Mittan agreed, stating that they "essentially gave up on Weir".[17]

The 2003–2004 season was "the turning point" for Weir;[38] Mittan called it "an amazing comeback".[17] In the summer of 2003, he trained with Russian coach Tatiana Tarasova for six weeks at the International Skating Center in Simsbury, Connecticut. Weir's friend and fellow skater Sasha Cohen helped him "get a foot in the door"[39] with Tarasova, who waived her fees for him. Working with Tarasova gave Weir the confidence he needed to recover from the previous season.[17][40][41] He moved from his longtime rink, the more prestigious one at the University of Delaware, to a nearby rink called The Pond, which was less crowded and not as well-known.[35]

The only Grand Prix competition U.S. Figure Skating assigned to Weir that season was "the second tier" Finlandia Trophy.[42] He was one of two skaters to skate a clean short program with a triple lutz-triple toeloop combination, a "scratchy triple Axel",[43] and the best spins in the field. He was first after the short program, but came in second place overall, slightly behind Gheorghe Chiper from Romania. Weir popped both his lutz and loop jumps, but successfully performed his triple axel-triple toeloop combination and four other triple jumps.[43] He also had to compete in the Eastern Sectionals again, coming in first place despite a fall and securing a spot in the U.S. Nationals.[17][40][23][44]

Weir came into the 2004 U.S. Nationals in Atlanta with "something to prove".[45] He came in first place, the first to do so by qualifying at sectionals since Rudy Galindo in 1996.[46] It was his first national title.[47] He was also the youngest male skater, at the age of 19, to win the U.S. Nationals since Todd Eldredge won in 1991, also at the age of 19.[45] Weir's short program was not the most difficult, but he had "a clean and elegant skate"[47] with a triple Lutz-triple toe combination, a triple axel, and a triple flip, all landed successfully. He was in first place after the short program, with marks ranging from 4.9 to 5.8.[47] He also won the free skate, even though he did not include a quadruple jump in it. Skating last, his program was "elegant yet loaded with solid jumps",[47] including eight triple jumps and two combination jumps: a triple axel-triple toe and his triple lutz-triple toe. His scores ranged from 5.8 to 6.0, which included seven 5.9s for technical merit and a 6.0 for presentation, the first perfect score earned by a man at U.S. Nationals since Weiss earned one in 2000; all but two judges placed Weir in first place.[47][40][45][48][49] Unlike the previous year, the 2004 Nationals was "full of solid skating, both technically and artistically".[45] Weiss, who came in second due to placing fourth in the short program after missing his triple axel, made nine triple jumps. Weir, after completing his free skate, kissed his hand and pounded the ice as the audience gave him a standing ovation; he stated, "I was very thankful at that point, and I was thanking the ice in Atlanta for letting me do my best".[45] Weir also stated, about his performance: "It was a cool feeling to be written off and then come back to show them what I am made of...I hope I shut up everyone who counted me out".[40] Matt Savoie, who also had difficulties in 2003, came in third place.[45]

U.S. Figure Skating named Weir to the U.S. World Championships team.[50] He came in fifth place; teammate Michael Weiss came in sixth. Weir opened his short program with a triple lutz-triple toeloop combination, followed by a triple axel and a triple flip, earning marks ranging from 5.0 to 5.7.[51] Neither Weir or Weiss completed quadruple jumps in their long programs, whereas the top four placements all performed quads in theirs. It was the first time since 1994 that no American male won medals at the World Championships.[52] Weir, however, completed eight "elegant triples"[52] in his long program, like he had done at U.S. Nationals. His scores ranged from 5.3 to 5.7 for technical and up to 5.8 for presentation, coming back from seventh place after the short program.[52]

Weir skated in the final ISU-sanctioned competition of the season, the 2004 Marshall’s World Figure Skating Challenge. coming in third place. He earned marks ranging from 5.4 in his technical scores, and 5.6 to 5.8 in his artistic scores, doubling one jump and stepping out of a triple axel.[53] He toured with Champions on Ice the summer of 2004, with Cohen, his "skating hero"[54] Evgeni Plushenko, Irina Slutskaya, and Elena Sokolova.

Weir competing at the 2004 NHK Trophy

Weir continued to train with Hill and with Tarasova in Simsbury for the 2004—2005 season.[42] For the Grand Prix season, he was assigned the NHK Trophy in Japan and Trophee Bompard in Paris. He also competed in the Cup of Russia in Moscow, although not for points towards the Grand Prix final.[42][55]

Weir won the NHK Trophy,[23] his first Grand Prix title and the first time he competed under the ISU Judging System (ISU). He earned 146.20 points in the free skate and 220.25 overall, beating his runner-up Timothy Goebel by over 20 points.[56][57] Weir's trip to Japan marked the first time he came "face-to-face"[58] with Johnny's Angels, a group of figure skating fans who supported Weir emotionally and financially.[59] He also won Trophee Bompard[23] with a score of 208.10 points, despite coming in second in the free skate, behind French skater and European champion Brian Joubert, who came in second place overall.[60] Weir "skated elegantly"[60] in his free skate, but doubled his three planned triples in the second half of his program, which hurt his technical scores.[60] He again did not include any quadruple jumps, choosing instead to emphasize his artistry, spins, and pirouettes.[61] Weir later said that his win in Paris "signaled my ascendancy on the international stage".[62]

Weir came in second after Plushenko at the Cup of Russia, the first time they competed against each other after the implementation of the IJS. In his "elegant"[42] short program, he completed a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination, but fell on his last jump, a triple flip, scoring 71.25 points. Weir opened his free skate with a triple axel-triple toe loop combination and five other triples, but stumbled coming out of his second triple axel and missed his triple flip late in the program. He called his performance koshmar (the Russian word for "nightmare"). He earned a score of 207.99 overall.[63][64][42] With his two Grand Prix wins, Weir became the top qualifier for the Grand Prix final, but had to withdraw because of a foot injury.[64][63][65]

The 2005 U.S. Nationals was the last time the 6.0 system was used at a U.S. Nationals.[66] Weir had "the heavy burden of defending a title for the first time",[67] but he was able to control his nerves and win his second Nationals title in a row and the first repeat U.S. Nationals championship since Michael Weiss in 1999 and 2000.[65][66][68] Although he finished slightly behind Timothy Goebel in his short program, without a quadruple jump and having a less-technical program than Goebel, he was the favorite going into the free skate.[65] Weir earned one 6.0 in his presentation scores and his program was "full of creative spins and complicated footwork".[65] His performance was solid but subdued; he struggled with the landings of his triple axel and triple flip jumps.[67] His free skate, which again did not include a quadruple jump but represented a "full range of perfectly executed triple jumps",[66] earned him five 6.0s in presentation. He also received 5.8s and 5.9s in his technical score. Weir's free skate scores were the best among the male skaters since 1988, when Brian Boitano earned eight 6.0s for presentation. Goebel finished in second place and Lysacek came in third place. Weir, along with Goebel and Lysacek, were chosen to represent the U.S. at the 2005 Worlds Championships.[66]

At Worlds, Weir continued to struggle with his foot injury, which he had struggled with all season and which prevented him from working on including a quadruple jump to his season's long program. He considered pulling out of the competition, but Tarsova gave him the motivation to continue despite the severe pain he was experiencing. He finished fourth, behind "surprise bronze medalist"[69] and teammate Evan Lysacek. He received two injections an hour before performing his short program. He fell on his opening triple axel in his short program, but successfully completed a triple axel-triple toeloop combination, four more triple jumps, and good spins. He also doubled a loop jump and singled a flip jump. Initially, Weir was placed in third, but "a human input error"[70] during the input of Chinese skater Li Chengjiang's scores was corrected, putting Weir slightly behind Li and in seventh place after the short program.[70] His "respectable free skate"[69] pulled him up to fourth place. He displayed good flow throughout his free skate, which included a triple axel-triple toeloop combination, six more triple jumps, and good spins.[70] The first half of his program was strong, with five triples in a row, but his foot pain caused him to change his circular step sequence, which resulted in a slip during the sequence and a fall during his opening triple axel. He was not able to complete two doubles at the end of his combination jumps, despite accomplishing three previous triples.[69]

Weir continued to train with Hill and Tarasov for the 2005—2006 season.[71] He began the season, which reporter John Blanchette called a "minor calamity",[72] with "a series of disappointing finishes".[73] He was told by judges in the fall, after debuting his short program, which was designed for the new scoring system, that it "wasn't difficult enough",[72] so he had to rework it. A "troubled personal relationship" also affected his performances.[73] The New York Times reported on the costume and music he chose for his short program, "a black-and-white costume that sparkled under the lights, and one red glove symbolizing the beak of a swan".[74] He debuted the program, an interpretation of Camille Saint-Saëns' The Swan, choreographed by Tarasova, Shanetta Folle, and Evgeni Platov, during a practice session at Skate Canada. [74][75][76] He later reported that the initial reaction to it was laughter and that he told reporters, when they asked about the red glove, that he had named it "Camille", in honor of the piece's composer.[77] Weir had been pushing to create a short program to the piece, which is traditionally danced and skated to by women, since he began working with Tarasova. She agreed to introduce it during this Olympic season because his "naturally quiet and delicate way on the ice mirrored the mellow cello piece".[78] Weir was aware of the impact it would make on the public and in the figure skating world, especially that it could harm his reputation with the judges;[79] he later stated, "Gender bending would take me into a whole new and very taboo area, where I would stand totally alone".[78] He also stated that although people were initially uncomfortable with the program, it would become one of most his most popular programs and would "completely change the world's perception of me".[80] His performance and swan costume were parodied in the 2007 comedy Blades of Glory, starring Jon Heder and WIll Farrell.[81][82]

In October, Weir finished in fourth place at the 2005 Campbell's Classic; he popped both of his triple axels and earned 114.65 points.[73][83][84] At Skate Canada in October, Weir was in second place after the short program, but finished in seventh, after falling on his first jump during the free skate. He finished the program, despite spraining his left ankle. He also competed at Cup of Russia a few weeks later in November, even though it was unlikely that he would make it to the Grand Prix final.[85] Weir, "on the comeback trail",[86] won third place overall at Cup of Russia. He missed two triples in his free skate, but placed third in the short program with 206.79, fourth in the free skate with 75.15 points, and earned a total of 131.64 points.[86][87][23] In December, Weir competed in the made-for-TV skating competition Marshalls U.S. Figure Skating Challenge in Boston. He won the event, taking in 64 percent of the fans' votes, via in-stadium voting, telephone, and the internet.[88][89]

At the 2006 U.S. Nationals, Weir was the first male skater to win three consecutive U.S. titles since Brian Boitano almost 20 years previously. He was in first place after the short program, again overcoming his nerves and earning a personal best score of 83.28, almost six points ahead of Weiss, who came in fourth place overall.[72][74] He successfully landed four triple jumps, including his opening triple axel and a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination, as well as a flying sit spin, circular step sequence, another triple flip, and his concluding spin combination; the spectators gave him a standing ovation when he finished.[72][90] He later told reporters, "For this one, they kind of sat back and had their cognac and their cigarettes and they were relaxing and watching", compared fellow competitor Ryan Bradley's "faster paced" choreography to "a vodka-shot-and-a-snort-of-coke kind of thing", and then said, "Uh, sorry for all those drug references".[74] Weir's free skate was "not without flaws",[91] so his short program carried his victory. He came in third place in the free skate after Lysacek and Savoie with 142.06 points and a total of 225.34. He stepped out of a triple axel, did too many combination jumps and thus received no points for one jumping pass, and did not complete the third jump of his three-jump combination.[91][92] After his win, Weir told reporters, "My mom is getting drunk already".[91] U.S. Figure Skating reprimanded both Weir and his mother Patti Weir for his drug references and other statements made during Nationals, but he, along with Lysacek and Savoie, who came in second and third place, were selected to represent the U.S. at the 2006 Winter Olympics, all for the first time.[4][93]

For the first time in his career, Weir changed his free skating program mid-season shortly before the Olympics, from "a techno medley"[94] written by Croatian pianist Maksim Mrvica to "Otoñal" by Argentine pianist Raúl Di Blasio, which Weir used the previous season. He stated that although he had performed the program well, he was bored with it and felt it lacked passion and power. Commentator and former Olympic gold medalist Dick Button agreed, stating that the newer program "was not good enough for him".[94] Weir's coach and mother admitted that Weir felt nervous about competing at the Olympics, and was uneasy about competing against Plushenko,[95] but he was called "the breakthrough personality of the Games".[96] It was the first time Weir's father John Weir, who had difficulty traveling after a disabling car accident in 1984, attended one of his son's competitions since Weir was a novice.[95] Weir received death threats during the Olympics and received "nasty e-mails" for several months afterwards, personal attacks that "targeted his love for things Russian and even his sexual preferences".[97] According to Variety, Weir's habit of wearing "retro Soviet CCCP sweatshirts" instead of USA clothing during the Olympics angered many U.S, supporters.[98]

Weir was the only American male in medal contention after his short program in Turin,[99][100] skating "well but not brilliantly"[101] and earning a personal-best score of 80.00 points, the third-highest score of the new system, and second-best behind Plushenko, who was in first place after the short program. Plushenko earned a personal-best score of 90.66, the highest short program score up to that point. Weir was ahead of the reigning world champion, Stéphane Lambiel from Switzerland, who was in third place, and the world silver medalist, Jeffrey Buttle of Canada, who was in fourth place. Weir began his short program with "a smooth triple axel"[101] followed by the highest-scoring element in his program, a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination. His next elements were a circular step sequence and a triple flip "that was lacking in crispness".[101] His final elements were a sit spin, a straight-line step sequence, and a combination spin.[101] Weir arrived late to the stadium for his free skate, blaming it on missing the bus from the athletes' village and not being told of a schedule change, which put him 90 minutes off his routine.[102] Reporter John Crumpacker stated that Weir was "out of sorts for his long program and skated abysmally as he went from second place to fifth".[102] He accomplished eight out of his planned 13 jumps, replaced a planned quadruple toe loop with a double axel, was shaky on his first triple axel, downgraded another triple jump to a double, and failed to complete a three-jump combination and double-jump combination late in his program.[96][102] Reporter Gwen Knapp stated, however, this his artistry was best in the field.[96] He earned 136.63 points in his free skate, coming in sixth place, for a total of 216.63 points.[102][103]

At the World Championships, Weir "did not fair so well".[104] Plushenko chose not to compete after the Olympics, so Worlds was open for Weir, Lysacek, Lambiel, and Buttle to win the gold medal.[105] Weir had been troubled with back pain all week, which was aggravated during the warm-up for the free skate. He successfully completed his triple axel-triple axel combination at the start of his program and attempted a quadruple toe jump, but he two-footed it and fell on his triple flip at the end of the program, taking him out of medal contention.[104][106] He came in seventh place overall; Lambiel won the gold medal, Brian Joubert came in second, and teammate Lysacek, despite a hard fall during the warm-up, won the bronze medal.[105] Weir toured again with Champions on Ice in-between seasons, his longest tour with them to date; he chose Frank Sinatra's "My Way", "for its obvious symbolism", as his performance number.[107]

For the 2006—2007 season, Weir began working with ice dancer Marina Anissina, who choreographed both his short program and free skate.[108] The costume he wore for his short program, skated to "King of Chess" by Silent Nick,[109] was described as "a black-and-white chess-themed costume that was restrained by his standards".[110] His free skating program, in which he portrayed the life of Christ, was the weakest of the season; Weir disliked his costume and his program did not go over well with spectators and judges.[111] He did not begin to train for the season until August 2006; illness also hampered his training.[110]

Weir started off the season by helping the U.S. men's team come in first place at the Campbell's Skating Challenge.[23] At Skate Canada, he came in third place overall. He struggled completing a combination spin during his short program and told reporters that he had difficulty with his spins and that he almost tripped during his step sequence. He successfully completed a triple axel, a triple lutx-triple toeloop combination, and a triple flip, earning 76.28, a little over 2.5 points behind Daisuke Takahashi from Japan, who came in first place after the short program. Weir needed a clean skate in the free skate to win the gold medal, but he came in fourth place. Skating last, he put a hand down on his opening triple axel, popped his second triple axel, and fell out of his triple salchow. He earned 122.42 in his free skate and 198.70 overall.[112][113] Weir was in second place after the short program at Cup of Russia, less than two points behind Joubert. Weir successfully completed his jumps, but did not attempt a quadruple jump and according to the Associated Press, "generally seemed a bit slow".[110] He came in fifth place in the free skate, with 121.38 points, over 40 points less than Joubert's free skate score, and came in second place overall, with a total score of 196.28.[114] Weir competed at the Grand Prix Final, but had to withdraw after the short program due to an injury to his right hip from a fall.[115][116] Weir later said that he was embarrassed by his withdrawal, done after "trash-talking"[117] Lysacek for also withdrawing due to an injury. He admitted that his Grand Prix season was "disastrous"[117] and that he had not been skating well going into the 2007 U.S, Nationals in Spokane, Washington.[117]

Shortly before Nationals, former figure skater and analyst Mark Lund, who was openly gay, speculated about Weir's sexuality on television; Weir chalked it up to jealousy.[14] Weir went into Nationals hoping to become the first American male since Boitano to win his fourth U.S. championships in a row. His rival Lysacek, who had beaten Weir the last three times they had competed internationally, was seeking his first National title.[118] According to Weir, both the press and U.S. Figure Skating, due to his performances during the season and at the 2006 Olympics, and despite his past successes, began to actively support Lysacek over him,[117] and as Weir said, "I couldn't outskate the negativity following me into the competition".[111] In the short program, they both skated clean programs and were essentially tied going into the free skate,[118][111] although Weir had better footwork and Lysacek had better jumps. Lysacek's score of 78.99 points was a slim lead of less than one point over Weir's 78.14 points. Weir begun his program with a successful triple axel and a triple lutz-triple toeloop combination. He had a shaky landing on his triple flip, but his circular and straight-line footwork sequences were well-done and he performed three level-four spins.[118][119] Ryan Bradley was in third place after the short program, with 73.58 points.[120] Weir was not able to successfully defend his title, coming in third overall; Lysacek came in first place, and Bradley came in second place. Weir skated after Lysacek, whose performance made the crowd leap to their feet,[118] and came in fourth place in the free skate, with 135.06 points. His triple axel was successful, but it was supposed to be part of a two-triple jump combination. He two-footed his quadruple toeloop, doubled a planned triple-triple combination jump, popped another triple axel combination, and later in the program, fell on a triple loop. He also popped an axel and turned it into a single jump, but completed three more triple jumps, high-quality circular and straight-line footwork sequences, and good spins. He later admitted that the pressure of being the defending champion bothered him, and said that it was difficult skating after Lysacek, especially after hearing that Lysacek had earned over 90 points in his element scores alone. Lysacek's total score was 169.89, which was the highest score, by almost 19.5 points, earned by a male skater at the U.S. Nationals, and over 50 points more than Bradley's final score of 219.21 points.[112][118][121] Weir also said, "Evan didn't just beat me...[h]e kicked my ass",[118] and called his free skate "probably the most difficult performance of my career thus far".[119] U.S. Figure Skating named all three medalists eligible to compete at 2007 Worlds and 2007 Four Continents Championships; Weir chose not to compete at Four Continents, so fourth-place finisher Jeremy Abbott went in his place.[119]

At Worlds, Weir came in eighth place, his worst finish at Worlds in four years.[122] He was in fourth place after the short program; he admitted that he was hampered by his nerves, had trouble adjusting to competing in Tokyo, "forgot to breathe a little bit", and said, "My costume is even tired". He earned 74.26 points.[123] He came in 10th place in the free skate, earning 132.71 points, and earned 206.97 points overall.[124][125]

Over the summer of 2007, Weir again toured with Stars on Ice. One of his performances included a combined skating routine, "Fallen Angels", skated to Handel’s "Sarabande", with ice dance team Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov, and choreographed by Petukhov. They came up for the idea for the routine on the plane back from the Worlds championships. At first, they received a great deal of resistance from U.S. Figure Skating, but were allowed to debut the routine at the Marshalls Showcase, a made-for-TV exhibition. The audience and commentators praised their performance, and the following week, a YouTube clip of their performance got over 100,000 views. Weir reported that people bought tickets to Stars on Ice just to see the routine in person.[126][127][128]

Weir at the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships

After the disappointments of the 2006–2007 season, Weir made the decision to shake up his training regimen by leaving the only coach he had ever had, Priscilla Hill, moving out of his family home and moving on his own to New Jersey to train with Ukrainian coach Galina Zmievskaya.[129][130] He subsequently had a great start to his 2007–2008 season at the Cup of China where he skated two clean and strong programs, achieving new personal best scores for both his free skate and overall score and winning the gold medal over fellow American Evan Lysacek.[131] He then went on to Cup of Russia and took the gold medal there, as well.[132] The two first-place finishes secured him a spot at the 2007–2008 Grand Prix Final, where Weir competed with a recurring injury in his landing foot and stumbled in both his short and long programs but still managed to place 4th overall.[132]

At the 2008 U.S. Championships, Weir won the short program over Evan Lysacek by 1.35 points but Lysacek won the long program by exactly the same amount, resulting in a tie. Weir completed a slightly two-footed quadruple toe loop in his long program and scored more points on his jumps and in the program components than Lysacek but Lysacek scored more points for his spins and footwork.[133] Under ISU rules, in the event of a tie the winner of the long program is awarded the gold medal,[134] so Weir received the silver.[135][136][137]

At the 2008 World Championships, the United States had failed to medal in every other discipline when the men took the ice last. Weir skated a short program that received a career-best score and put him in second place. In the free program, he skated steadily but tentatively, eliminating the second jump from his first planned combination and doubling a planned triple jump on another combination. However, the program was strong enough for Weir to win his first World medal – a bronze – and kept the United States from being shut out of the medals at a World Championship for the first time since 1994.[138]

Weir began the 2008–2009 season by winning the silver medal at Skate America in October 2008.[139] He then went on to the NHK Trophy in late November, where he competed while suffering from a severe cold but still managed to win his second silver medal of the season.[140] These two finishes qualified him for the 2008–2009 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, where he won the bronze medal in December 2008.[141]

During the 2008 Christmas holiday Weir traveled to South Korea to perform in a charity skating show. While there, he contracted a severe stomach virus that landed him in the hospital and caused him to lose eight pounds in a single day. He was unable to regain all of the weight or train at full capacity before the 2009 U.S. Championships in January 2009, where he singled the planned triple axel in both his short and long programs and also fell on the triple lutz in the long, resulting in a fifth-place finish. It was the first time since 2003 that he had been off the podium at Nationals.[142] He was subsequently not named to the U.S. team for the World Championships.

In preparation for the 2009–2010, season Weir went to top skating choreographer David Wilson to create his competitive programs. On September 26, 2009, he debuted his short program, which was set to music by Raúl di Blasio, at a benefit to commemorate 9/11.[143]

In the 2009 Grand Prix season, Weir finished a disappointing fourth at Cup of Russia after doubling several of the triple jumps in both his short and long programs, but two weeks later rallied to win silver at the NHK Trophy, while suffering from a cold and sinus infection.[144] This qualified Weir for the 2009-2010 Grand Prix Final in Tokyo, Japan, where he won the bronze medal.[145]

Weir won the bronze medal at the 2010 U.S. Championships in Spokane, Washington and was subsequently named to the U.S. team for the Olympics. At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Weir finished sixth overall, with a new personal-best combined score of 238.87.[146]

Weir did not compete during the 2010–2011 season and confirmed in June 2011 that he would also miss the 2011–2012 season, while suggesting a competitive return was still possible.[147][148] Weir indicated that he hoped to compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, "even though I'll [he'll] be old".[149]

In January 2012, Weir stated his intention to return to competition in the 2012–2013 season[150][151][152] He said that he would continue to work with Galina Zmievskaya, Viktor Petrenko and Nina Petrenko at the Ice House in Hackensack, New Jersey.[152] In May 2012, Weir was assigned to two 2012 Grand Prix events, the 2012 Rostelecom Cup and the 2012 Trophee Eric Bompard.[153] He returned to competition at the 2012 Finlandia Trophy.[154] He said, "I never wanted one more minute of competitive ice skating after Vancouver but let yourself sit and cook for two years, and anything is possible. [...] there is nothing like competing and the feeling it gives me."[154]

Due to an injury to his right hip, Weir withdrew from the 2012 Rostelecom Cup after the short program and the 2012 Trophee Eric Bompard before the start of the event.[155] He decided not to compete at the 2013 U.S. Championships.[156]

In September 2013, U.S. Figure Skating announced that Weir had not registered for qualifying events to the 2014 U.S. Championships, where skaters compete for Olympic berths.[157] On October 23, 2013, Weir announced his retirement from competitive skating and that he would join NBC Olympics as a figure skating analyst for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.[158][159]

Although retired from competition, Weir remains active as a skater. He skated with the Champions on Ice touring ice show every spring from 2004 until 2007, their last season before going out of business.[166][167] He has also performed in Russia, Japan, China and South Korea.

In 2013 Weir skated in the Artistry on Ice show which toured in China.[168]

in January 2015, Weir skated in the Russian production Snow King.[169] In the spring, he skated in the Fantasy on Ice tour. In the summer, Weir was named to the cast of Nancy Kerrigan's October Halloween on Ice show which opened in October 2015.[170]

In June 2019, Weir skated in Fantasy on Ice in Japan alongside many current names in the sport.[171]

Pop Star on Ice, a documentary about Weir and his career by filmmakers James Pellerito and David Barba, was filmed between 2006 and spring 2008. It premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 24, 2009, and was scheduled to show at film festivals across the United States in the spring and summer of 2009 before airing on the Sundance Channel on December 24, 2009.[172] The filmmakers also created a multiple-episode TV series entitled Be Good Johnny Weir. Season one aired on the Sundance Channel in early 2010.[173] The series moved to Logo in 2012 for season two.

In 2014 he appeared in the documentary film To Russia with Love.[174]

After the 2006 Winter Olympics, Weir taught Kathy Griffin how to skate in the season two finale of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.[175]

After the 2010 Winter Olympics, Weir appeared on a number of talk shows and skating shows. In 2010, he appeared in an episode of When I Was 17 on the MTV network, describing his experiences in high school.[176] In season three of The Rachel Zoe Project, Weir was dressed by Rachel and her assistant Brad Goreski to attend an event. In 2010 he was a judge on the U.S. reality show Skating with the Stars.[177] He was also a guest judge on the Logo reality series RuPaul's Drag Race season three.

In 2012 he appeared on Say Yes to the Dress, in which he accompanied a bride and tried on a dress for himself.[178]

In 2013 Weir competed on the second season of Food Network's Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off, as a member of "Team Guy". He played for the Human Rights Campaign and came in fifth place. He also guest starred on Dora the Explorer for Nickelodeon.

In 2014 Weir and Tara Lipinski worked as a broadcast team for ice skating events at the Sochi Winter Olympics. As a result of positive reviews and ratings for the event, they were named in October 2015 as NBC's top figure skating broadcast team.[179] The pair was invited to appear in March 2014 as fashion commentators for Access Hollywood at the 86th Academy Awards with host Billy Bush.[180] In May 2014 Weir and Lipinski appeared as fashion commentators for NBC's coverage of the 2014 Kentucky Derby.[181] Also in 2014, Weir appeared as an instructor in Dream School from SundanceTV.[182]

In 2015, Weir and Lipinski appeared as event reporters at the Super Bowl XLIX pregame show on NBC.[183] In May the two returned for coverage of the 2015 Kentucky Derby.[184] In November they covered the National Dog Show.[185]

In 2016 Weir and Lipinski covered fashion at the Rio Olympics for NBC Sports.[186]

In 2019 Weir and Lipinski guest starred on ‘’Amphibia’’ for Disney Channel.

In 2011 Weir published an autobiography titled Welcome to My World in which he traced the path he took to become a skating champion, plus outlined his philosophy. In the book he also confirmed that he is gay. Weir also writes a column for the Falls Church News-Press which is published on the "National Commentary" page.[187]

In addition to his skating career, Weir has also recorded a pop song produced by Lucian Piane titled "Dirty Love". It was recorded in April 2010, and released as a single worldwide on January 11, 2011. The single moved to number 1 on the Amazon sales charts in Japan shortly after release.[188]

In 2019, Weir competed as "the Egg" on season 2 of The Masked Singer. He was eliminated and unmasked on the first episode.

Weir has an interest in fashion design and, in addition to designing some of his own skating costumes, has designed ice dancing costumes for Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov,[189] and show costumes for Oksana Baiul.[190] In 2010 Weir debuted his Be Unique fashion label with a line of $95 black jackets.[191] He also designed Yuzuru Hanyu's costume for his free program in the 2010–2011 season,[192] as well as one Hanyu wore while winning the gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics.[193] In 2011 Weir designed a line of women's dresses for eDressMe.com and appeared in a photoshoot to advertise the offering.[194]

Off the ice, Weir has appeared in fashion spreads in BlackBook magazine[195][196] Vanity fair, 'Vogue Japan[197] and others. He also modeled in runway shows for the fashion label Heatherette.[198]

Weir serves on the Board of Governors of nPlay, a nonprofit organization devoted to fighting childhood obesity and promoting a healthy lifestyle for young people.[199]

Johnny Weir at the Los Angeles LGBT pride parade in 2011

In 2010 Weir collaborated with Traver Rains to raise money for The Trevor Project, a national nonprofit organization focused on suicide prevention among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth.

In 2013 the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund established the Johnny & Victor Weir-Voronov Scholarship Fund for LGBTQ Youth.[200] Also in 2013, Weir auctioned personal fashions and accessories to benefit the Trevor Project.[201]

Weir was the face of M.A.C.'s 2011 holiday line titled "Glitter and Ice".[202][203]

Weir is openly gay. His sexual orientation had long been the subject of media speculation; however, prior to 2011 when asked about his sexuality, Weir responded "...it's not part of my sport and it's private. I can sleep with whomever I choose and it doesn't affect what I'm doing on the ice."[216]

In his 2011 memoir Welcome to My World, Weir officially came out as gay, citing a string of gay youth suicides as one reason for his decision: "With people killing themselves and being scared into the closet, I hope that even just one person can gain strength from my story."[217][218][219][220][221]

In 2011, Weir married Victor Voronov (b. 1984), a Georgetown Law graduate of Russian-Jewish descent,[222] in a civil ceremony on New Year's Eve in New York City.[223][224]

The couple divorced in 2015, citing domestic difficulties.[225]

Weir is a self-proclaimed Russophile who admires Russia's skating style and culture; in fact, he taught himself to speak and read the language.[226] He also speaks some French[227] and Japanese.[163] He is a collector of Russian Cheburashka memorabilia.[228]

In 2010, a main-belt asteroid, discovered in 1995 by T. V. Kryachko at the Zelenchukskaya Station was named after the skater, at the suggestion of his Russian fans.[229]

In 2006, Weir had two pet chihuahuas named Bon-Bon and Vanya.[228] As of 2012, Weir has a Japanese spaniel named Tyoma.[230]

Weir was raised Roman Catholic and has stated he is open to other belief systems, including practicing Kabbalah, stating, "I believe in anything good, and anything that can teach love".[231][232] In February 2012, Weir stated that he was considering converting to Judaism.[233]

During the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Claude Mailhot and Alain Goldberg, two broadcasters with RDS network in Canada, commented on Weir's sexuality and presentation during his performances.[234][235] Speculating on why Weir did not receive a medal during the Olympics even though he had good technical scores, Mailhot said, "This may not be politically correct, but do you think he lost points due to his costume and his body language?" Goldberg replied "They'll think all the boys who skate will end up like him. It sets a bad example." Goldberg and Mailhot then made jokes about how Weir should "compete in the women's division".

Weir responded to these comments in a press conference, saying "I've heard worse in bathrooms". He went on to say "I don't want, fifty years from now, more young boys and girls to have to go through this sort of thing." The two men later issued an apology.[235]

During the 2010 Olympics, Weir became the center of an animal rights controversy by wearing fox fur on his skating costume at that event. He received attacks from the animal rights groups Friends of Animals and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).[236][237] When the protests escalated to threats of violence against him, Weir announced he would remove the fur from his costume, although he continued to defend wearing fur as a "personal choice",[238] later noting that the activists managed to overlook the fact that all ice skaters wore leather boots. Threats from animal rights activists also forced Weir to alter his housing arrangements for the Olympics in Vancouver. He had intended to stay in a Vancouver hotel, but for security reasons, chose to stay at the secure Olympic Village, sharing a suite with fellow American figure skater Tanith Belbin.[239][240]

In 2013, Weir became involved in the discussion of whether the United States should boycott the Sochi Olympics because of Russia's anti-gay laws. After publicly expressing his opinion, he received personal threats.[241] He was picketed by Queer Nation outside an appearance at Barnard College in December for his position that "the Olympics are not the place to make a political statement" about Russia's anti-gay laws and "you have to respect the culture of a country you are visiting". Weir called the experience "eye-opening", and went on to respond through further media interviews.[242] Subsequently, NBC named Weir and Tara Lipinski to its figure skating coverage team in Sochi. Weir commented, "I'm a gay American...I plan to be there in full support of our brothers and sisters there and not be afraid."[243]