Brian Boitano Shares How Being an Olympic Skater Helps Him Interview Athletes on His Podcast with Christine Brennan (Exclusive)

The figure skater and TV star launched 'Milan Magic' with Brennan last month

NEED TO KNOW

• Brian Boitano opens up to PEOPLE about Milan Magic, his new podcast with Christine Brennan
• The Olympic figure skater also shares his thoughts on Team USA’s medal chances at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Heated Rivalry and more
• Boitano famously won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics

Figure skating legend Brian Boitano is bringing magic to the 2026 Winter Olympics.

During his career as an athlete, Boitano got plenty used to being the one answering questions. Now, though, he’s on the other side, thanks to a buzzy new podcast called Milan Magic, which he’s hosting alongside USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan.

“Athletes all get when other athletes have been at the level that they’re competing at,” he tells PEOPLE in Milan of using his time on the ice to help connect with his podcast guests. “You just understand each other and they do open up. There’s a communal brain happening.”

Boitano, 62, and Brennan, 67, kicked off Milan Magic on Jan. 10 with a very special guest: Team USA figure skater Ilia Malinin, who has helped revolutionize the sport and is poised to make Olympic history in Milan.

“He’s just such a great kid and he’s just done so much for skating. I just love his attitude and what he’s trying to do, and so I want to bring that out for the American public to witness,” says Boitano. “I want them to see his personality a little bit more. So that’s what we’re trying to do with the podcast, is get him to talk a little bit in-depth about what he feels and what his process is and how he goes about training — stuff that most people don’t ask him or wouldn’t know to ask him.”

If anyone understands how Malinin feels, it’s Boitano. A two-time World Champion gold medalist and a four-time U.S. National Champion, Boitano is perhaps best known for his incredible run at the 1988 Calgary Olympics, where he went head to head with Canadian Brian Orser and came on top with a gold medal in what was known as “Battle of the Brians.”

He reflects on his victory now, saying things felt “almost surreal” — until he heard the opening notes of “The Star-Spangled Banner” while standing on the winners’ podium.

“My thought was something this good couldn’t happen to someone.’ It just felt so satisfying,” he says. “It truly was the deepest form of satisfaction that you accomplished something where you’re like, ‘If I eff up the rest of my life, at least I have this accomplishment.’”

It’s that accomplishment, and many others, that make Boitano someone that many Team USA stars look up to. He skates often at home in San Francisco with Alysa Liu (with whom he credits the women’s team’s close bond, as she “doesn’t care about placements”), and has let Malinin know that he’s there for anything should the 21-year-old star need him.

“I don’t give advice unless I’m asked for it, but I always let them know that I’m there,” he says. “I texted Ilia [recently], ‘Hey, wondering how it’s going. I’m thinking about you and I’m sending you good energy.’ I just want him to let them know that I’m there.”

Boitano says he feels good about the U.S.’s chances at medaling on the ice this year, praising everyone from Madison Chock and Evan Bates to Max Naumov (whose late parents were his friends) and Andrew Torgashev.

“I think we have a really strong team,” he says, before adding that he’s hopeful for a women’s medal sweep.

And before you ask, yes, Boitano — who came out as gay in 2013 — has seen Heated Rivalry.

“Oh my God, I want to meet with [showrunner] Jacob Tierney because I just want to thank him for doing that,” he says. “For me, there weren’t a lot of gay skaters. I keep thinking back to, if we would have had examples like this when we were kids… I just feel so satisfied that other kids have this as an example and that they’re really embracing it.”

For now, Boitano is focused on living it up in Milan, which is a special place for the star, as he has a house nearby and recently got his Italian citizenship. 

Then, of course, there’s his podcast with Brennan. Boitano says he and the writer are planning to do a wrap-up after every event, and are still in the process of approaching people they’d like to have on, including actors, comedians and more. So far, they’ve had on everyone from Dorothy Hamill and Scott Hamilton to Nancy Kerrigan and Paul Wylie.

“We’re trying to have diverse guests,” he explains. “It’s fun. I like going in-depth because when I did commentary, it’s so fast. You have to talk so fast and wrap up things and you’re like, ‘No, but I want to tell people more about that subject matter’ and you don’t have time to do it, so this is great.”

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.

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