Gus Kenworthy poses for a photo at the Team USA Media Summit on April 25, 2017 in West Hollywood, Calif.
Fans have seen Olympic silver medalist Gus Kenworthy on television before, but never quite like this.
The freestyle skier has been cast in the upcoming ninth season of “American Horror Story,” playing the boyfriend of AHS veteran actress Emma Roberts’ character. The nature of Kenworthy’s character is unknown, as the anthology series changes plots and characters from year to year.
Series creator Ryan Murphy announced the casting on Instagram, posting a picture of a coyly smiling Kenworthy with the caption, “That special moment when you realize you have an Olympic medal AND will be playing Emma Roberts’ boyfriend on “American Horror Story” Season 9.”
The witty Kenworthy, one of two openly gay athletes on Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, quipped, “Interviewer: So how did you prepare for this role? Me: I actually played "straight" for the first 23 years of my life...” in a Tweet.
Interviewer: So how did you prepare for this role?
— Gus Kenworthy (@guskenworthy) February 7, 2019
Me: I actually played "straight" for the first 23 years of my life... https://t.co/suRyBfRE3Q
The 27-year-old is a two-time Olympian, with his medal coming in Sochi in 2014 in slopestyle. He also has a silver medal in slopestyle from the 2017 world championships, along with five X Games medals.
Kenworthy will be off the slopes and on a bike this summer as he participates in the AIDS/LifeCycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The 545-mile journey will raise money to fight HIV/AIDS and improve the lives of those living with the disease. Kenworthy has announced an ambitious goal of raising $1 million, and is currently the top fundraiser among hundreds of riders.
Todd Kortemeier is a sportswriter, editor and children’s book author from Minneapolis. He is a contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
