The Tale of Two Ice Princesses
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is the incident on January 6, 1994. January 6? Oh my God. Wow. That day needs to go take a nap. There's too much happening.

Welcome back, Rammies. Welcome to Write Answers Mostly, a podcast on what you didn't learn in history class but wanted to. My name's Claire. My name is Tess. And today we are kicking off. Kicking. We're kicking. Kicking something. There it is. We're kicking off sports month. What the hell are we doing here? And I have to admit something really shocking that I recommended this. But I was all for it. Suggested it. I think

It's good. It's good to like go out of your comfort zone. Of course. But also I think when I think sports, I'm like, I don't want to talk about people playing football. And I'm like, it's not just football. No, honey, it's sure not. And we've now had to be like, fuck, which ones are we going to do? Because there's so many interesting subjects out there. I know the drama, the scandal. We, you know, we live for it. And you know that we're going to be doing scandalous fun shows.

juicy stories in sports that are for you guys. It is. It's all for you. And if you're liking what you are seeing and hearing, make sure to subscribe, follow us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube at right answers. Mostly. Yeah. So you know what? Um, we haven't gotten in a while. What a written review. I think it's been like a year. Yeah. Yeah.

We're going to admit it, but only if it's nice. Well, there was a lot of nice reviews at first, which we appreciated. And then I think people just kind of forget, which is totally fine. So head on over to Apple podcast, right? Review. Um, my favorite review we've ever gotten, it was actually, um, the most backhanded compliment review where again, the title was not bad, but not overly informative. Um,

we were like we will take it we're like we actually identify completely with that we do um and there was also that one uh that guy that said that we are like the dumb version of you're wrong about yes but we're less pretentious which i'm like thank you i mean like any sort of comparison to you're wrong about i'll take it a hundred percent they are perfection in our eyes that's true how are you doing test what's new

I'm good. I'm going to San Francisco tomorrow. I know. Very excited to go back to the weather. What's the weather supposed to be like? You know, so right when it got sunny in LA, I looked. I feared for this for you. And I was scared. I was too. Because I've just been picturing this like sunny, summery San Francisco weekend. And it's, excuse me, it's 60...

And cloudy. 60? So I'm like, I guess we'll dress for fall. Oh my God. So I'm just bringing some blazers and jeans and like... Maybe you'll clear up? Question mark? Yeah, maybe. You know in LA where it's like, okay, it's cloudy in the morning. Yeah. But then it's not really... If it says it's cloudy in San Francisco, you're like, prepare for...

the darkness. Yeah. Yeah. So one of my best friends, Emma, uh, came to see, or she was in San Diego and I drove down for a date to go see her. And it was so nice, but we were, I took her to a dispensary and we were talking to the woman about like our winter in LA and we're like, Oh my God, it's been so bad. And Emma was like, what has it been? Like 68. And I was like, it's been

It's been like 60, okay? You're like, you don't understand what we've been going through. It's been torture. It has been really tough, but now we're seeing this week has been sunny. It's been gorgeous. It feels like summer, kind of. It's hot. It does. Turn on the AC today. It's actually like, are you already a little hot in here? You are wearing a long sleeve t-shirt. Yeah, that's true. I might take it off halfway through. Oh, please do. You never know. Please do. You never know what's going to happen in this episode. Speaking of that. Yeah. Tess. Yeah. Take it away. All right. So...

I'm just going to preface this by saying that I personally feel that some of my episodes recently, I have stressed out about them. And then I had this moment where this is one of the first things I wanted to do two years ago on Ram. And then I also was like, Tess, let's like bring it back to OG where we just like,

the shit. It, you know, I just have fun with it. And like, I have a joint here if we want it. We're drinking beers and like, let's just get kind of like silly with this episode. It's summer. Let's get silly. Let's get crazy because like we're like athletic girl. Yeah, of course. So this is like our bread and butter. We're not like regular girls. We're like cool girls. We're like,

Figure skating girls. Oh, wow. Would you classify figure skating girls in the same camp as dolphin girls in the same camp as horse girls? That is a very hard question, Claire. Because I think in like a Venn diagram, there are some crossovers here. Yes. I mean, I think also figure skating is like similar to gymnastic girlies and ballerinas. And I do feel like ballerinas are the meanest of all the girlies.

I will say something. Oh, tell me. From my time as a figure skater. Yes. Did you guys know? I mean, check out our Instagram at right answers. Mostly, you know, we will be posting. I texted my mom today and she sent me an array of photos throughout my time. Figure skating. They're so cute. Tough to see the transition. Like when you start going through puberty and the outfits are just looking a little tighter.

There's like, this might be controversial to say, but there's like no uglier face in anyone's life than like puberty. No, that's, that's a fact. It's not controversial. No, it's absolutely. That is the truest thing you could ever say. But you look gorgeous. That's sweet. No, you know, it's just like, you're just uncomfortable in your body. So it's like, it just is not a great time. Yeah. Um, but I, I was a figure skater from like

to 13, I want to say. That's crazy. So it was like very much my childhood, like before I was into theater and like...

about acting or like any of that. I just like really loved, I love to skate. It just doesn't seem on brand for you. Well, it wasn't because I think I, I wanted an outlet for performing. Of course. I was obsessed with Tara Lipinski who was an Olympic figure skater who won in 97. I want to say 97. Um,

And I liked the costumes. I liked the idea of it. I'm not a very competitive person in that way. And I'm also not someone that...

to train in the amount that I should have. Practice was always tough for me in any sport I played too. I wanted the glory without the practice. Same. And so I think I was surrounded by young girls that wanted it so badly that would go before school. Some of them would go for their lunch breaks and after school too. So they were training like three times a day. Oh my God. I think I went three times a week. Well, hey, that's great. And I just was always like, I want to have fun with this.

I also was too tall and heavy to be able to, and like literally this is why part of the reason why I stopped is because they were like, you're five, eight in like seventh grade. You're just like not, you don't air it dynamically. You will not be able to like get these jumps. You do have some tall girl trauma. I feel like that we're starting to work through with like, I saw you wore heels the other day. It's just,

because you got so tall so young. Yeah, and like I never took that on. Like that didn't like affect me with like body image or anything. But I think I just remember being like, well, I'm around girls that are 5'2". Right. So of course, like I understand that it's just not going to happen for me. Yeah, there's so many height whatever.

Yeah. So needless to say, um, I did have fun with it until I got very over it. Yeah. And then it was like, I dreaded to go. And then I think my mom was like, you know what? This is fucking expensive. I can't. That's also a sport that you can't practice. Like at home, you can go back or like with baseball, you can go into the backyard and like throw the ball. No, it's like you are going to a rank, which you have to have a membership. You are paying for lessons, hourly lessons.

You are getting new costumes for your competitions. You are getting your blades sharpened once a week. Like all of that costs so much money. Skating scares the shit out of me. Did you not ever have fear that you would fall down and someone to roll over your neck?

I remember being scared like when it was your turn to practice your routine and sort of like when you're in the middle of it and you're just looking around and you're like, I could like just running into people scared me, but I was never scared that like the blade was. Oh, the blade scares me. Also, it just, the ice is so hard when you fall. I took ice skating lessons three times, I think, and I held onto the wall the entire time.

It is. It is hard. I mean, the scariest thing I ever did in ice skating, which we'll talk about today, and I got nowhere close, was trying to perfect the axle. I can't even imagine. So you have to do it on a harness first. Oh, that's fun. And I literally could barely do it on the harness. And you have butt pads when you're doing it. Oh. And that's when I was like, I feel like a whale. I'm just seeing these little hot little things just jumping up. And I was like...

We've all been there. You're just like, it's not going to happen for me. This is not my path. This is not my path. Onto the theater. Onto the theater. And that was healing. The theater is always healing. It was. It was like, you can be any height. Well, yes. And then you try to go into film and then all men are 5'7". And then again, you're too tall. And then they're like, we're going to put them up on Apple boxes. Oh, man. But hey, we're not here to talk about that. We're not.

I hear talk about that. So I've always loved figure skating. I lost the drive. I lost the... I still have never seen Tess figure skate, which is crazy to me because I do feel like it is something that you were so passionate about for a time and it was such a big part of your life. So we will go to an ice rink. Absolutely. I can still like make my way, making my way downtown. I know that you would be able to. It's...

But it's really hard when you're doing it in those rental skates, to be honest. Right. And I say this every time I go skating. I'm like, I just can't do the same things I'd be able to do if they were good, like sharpened. Maybe we need to get you some skates. We go all the way to Burbank. There's a nice skating rink there. That's true. That's the first time I've suggested we go to Burbank. Wow. And the last. And the last. You're hearing it right now. We should go to Ramy Field Trip. We go ice skating. I would love that. Same. Love that. Show.

I've always wanted to do. Of course, the Nancy Kerrigan, Tanya Harding attack story, the whack that shook the world. Wow. Some may say. And I just, you know, I know a lot about it, but I was like, let's just have fun with it. Yeah. And, like, I found out a few more things that maybe I didn't know, but all in all, I, like...

you know, this has been a story that I've just always found very interesting. Well, I've always thought it was interesting too. And I think I told you yesterday, I saw I, Tanya, but I don't really remember what happened. Like I know that there was a leg situation, but I don't know if it was confirmed that it was from Tanya Harding's camp or, so I'm very ready to learn. So you were, so this happened in 1994. So what month? Um, this happened in December.

January 1994. I wasn't even alive. I know. And I don't remember. I was three. I don't like a lot of people remember where they were, like where they were, where this happened, just because it's like truly one of the biggest sports scandals in history. That's why we're kicking it off at this one. That's why we are kicking it off. Um, do you watch like figure skating during the Olympics? Of course. Yes. That's the best part of the winter Olympics. It's just,

100%. It's just gorgeous. Which I think gymnastics is one of the best parts of the Summer Olympics. Give me the routines. Give me the choreography. Give me the costumes. I guess they probably call them uniforms. Just everything. Everything. So we're going to have fun with this. There's some darker parts of the story, which I think it's more helpful if I offer a trigger warning 30 seconds before, so you can just kind of skip around. Because most of it is you have to sort of like...

lighten this up a little bit because it is just so crazy. That's what we're here to do. So I will, at some points there are a few conversations around sexual assault and eating disorders. But I'll give you a little trigger warning before. Thank you for that. We're not going to spend too much time on them. Because really what the heart of this story is

It's about two women that were pinned up against each other from day one, basically because one was pretty and one was not. It sucks. Well, we've seen this like time and time again. The things that they would like call Tanya in comparison to Nancy and how they just made these women enemies. And because Nancy was good, that mean Tanya had to be bad. And like all of these black and white. Pitting women against women since the beginning of time. We have seen it. But it's actually interesting because they're maybe more or

more alike than you think in a lot of ways. Well, isn't that always the truth? It's because women at the core and they're athletes and they have so much in common. It's like they probably wouldn't have hated each other if we did this to them. That's absolutely right. So let's get into it. So first off, figure skating is a highly competitive sport. And I think a lot of people, and I think now it's more like

respectable and women are kind of perceived as like stronger athletes for doing it. But like, you know, we're talking like 80s and 90s. Yeah. It was very much still about how you looked and what sort of costume you had and your body. And I think a lot of people failed to realize like the physical toll it would take on women emotionally. I can't imagine. You're getting like thrown around in the air if you have like a partner thing. Oh my... Partner...

I partner in ice dancing, which ice dancing is where there's no throws. You can't lift your skates off of the ice. I prefer that then. Ice dancing is so beautiful. I mean, I love to watch the throws, but if I was participating, I don't need to fly. Pair skating is crazy as hell. Crazy. And it's like a death wish. Like that scares me. When they're holding them by like

angles and just like throwing them around. Plates of Glory. You just have to be like, this is crazy. Plates of Glory has fucked me up because and this is so stupid, but he goes it's mind-boggling instead of mind-boggling and it's messed me up ever since then. So I'm like, which one is it?

He's like, cause it bottles your mind and it's mind boggling. Right? But my it's mind boggling. Yeah. Boggling. What's like boggling me? Great question. Blades of glory. Had it right all along. You guys have your homework. You know what to do. Yeah. You know what to do. Send us a DM right now. Send us a DM. Probably going to be you, Brittany. Yeah, please. We appreciate you always Brittany. You sweet, sweet angel. Um, so like I was saying, we have this kind of like engineered rivalry from the start that these two women experience. Nancy's the good girl, um,

She's from the East Coast. She was in People's 50 Most Beautiful. What was that? People Magazine. Most Beautiful People. Yes, Most Beautiful. So she's in that. Is she from Connecticut? She is from. We might get to it later. She's from Stoneham, Massachusetts. Okay. So she is an East Coast girlie. She is. You know, she has Vera Wang that's designing her dresses. Oh, nice. She has very minimalist makeup. And, you know, she just has this, like,

People just are like, you're just hot. I mean, even the name Nancy. Yeah. And then you have Tanya. It's just like everything about it was looking at it through a stereotypical lens. You're just like, people are like, she's white trash. She's rock and roll. Her makeup is terrible. She doesn't know what to do with her hair. She goes out and chugs beers after she wins a competition at dive bars. Cheers. Cheers. What else are you supposed to do? Yeah. It was like Nancy would be drinking champagne.

And like, also, how much of that is really true? I don't fucking know. But what we will be talking about today is the incident on January 6th, 1994. January 6th? Oh my God. Wow. That day, like, needs to go take a nap. There's too much happening. Everyone should just take that day off. Take the day off. My God. Mm-hmm.

I didn't realize that. That is crazy. Yeah. January 6, 1994. Nancy Kerrigan was attacked after practice at the Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan, in what would become one of the biggest sports scandals in history. The hitman used a 21-inch collapsible baton to strike Nancy Kerrigan's right leg, in which she was contracted to do so.

By Tanya Harding's husband. Oh, her husband. She was married. And this is official. Official as in like, I don't know why I'm like, was it really? Like, I don't know why I have a conspiracy theory about this.

Start it, Claire. Start it. It wasn't really Tanya. Yes. It was like 100% contracted by. And it was a hit band, though. It wasn't actually her husband who did it. Yes. Her husband was the orchestrator. There was three men involved, which we will get into all of them. It's loyalty. If your man isn't hiring a hit band. Say it, Claire. You're on Jeff's side. You're on Jeff and Tanya's side? That's right. It's love, baby. That is love.

I mean, it's so crazy. It's crazy. Like, would our Bitcoin babies do that for us? Great question. Depends on the situation. They're so low-key. Neither one of them. Like, we would do it for each other, but they would never do it for us. I would do it for you. I would do it for you, too. As long as no one was getting, like, too badly hurt. Yeah, exactly. A bit of a watch out. I would do it more emotionally. Yeah, of course. Like, emotional torture. Exactly. So...

So let's talk pre-94. We're going to start with Nancy Kerrigan's upbringing, her background, where she was before this happened, and then we're going to talk about Tanya and where she was, and then we'll meet on the incident. Okay. Okay. So Nancy Kerrigan, if you had to guess, do you want to guess her sign? I don't know her very well. I'm going to say something, for some reason, like Aquarius is popping in my mind. That's a good guess. She's born October 13th. Oh, okay.

That's Emma's birthday. Happy Libra season. Emma, you are the star of our episode. That's right. We love you. She was born in Stonyham, Massachusetts, the youngest child and only daughter of welder

Oh, a welder. A welder. Wow. Daniel Kerrigan and homemaker Brenda Kerrigan. So I think something that's interesting and that I even learned more while doing this research, they kind of made it seem like she was this rich girl from the East Coast, like very well off. Her family was just, she was like not at all. So her dad had to actually, so he works three jobs to fund her skating career. That's

And he drove the Zamboni, which is the thing that cleans the ice at the local rink in exchange for Nancy's lessons early on. The love of a parent. I'll never understand. Truly. If my kid and bless my mom, but my kid was like, I want to do figure skating. I'd be like, can you pick something else? I'm like, here's a coloring book.

And try that out. Yeah. It's crazy. I mean, same thing with my mom driving me to dance practices and cheer practice and making it happen. It's crazy. I know. I think maybe you just don't know how that feels until you're a parent. I know. But I'm just like, to take your kid to anything just seems exhausting. It does. I can't imagine. Soccer games at 8 a.m.? Are you kidding me? I can barely drive myself to the post office. Same. It's not going to happen. I'm just like...

Just waiting in there. Yeah, exactly. So I think that was something that we should debunk sort of early on because like she had a loving childhood. I would say her brothers played hockey. She took up figure skating. Her parents were happily married. Um, but she wasn't this like spoiled brat Nepo baby that I think a lot of people just assume because of the way she looks. Right. Um, so she started figure skating at age eight.

And she won her first competition, the Boston Open, at age nine. Hey, what? I know. I was like, they got started young. And just like winning right away. I know. So she began to reach prominence at the national level when she was placed fourth in the 1987 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. That's cool.

So she's going. She made an early impression as a strong jumper. Oh. But everything else was a little tough. Did you jump? I did jump. Jumping seems hard. All of my jumps were not at... So, like, at the competitive level, you... I mean, you can do jumps at any... You can do half of a turn. Mm-hmm.

Like, it's, like, at half, basically two or three. And three is, like, Olympic level. Two, you can, like... That's, like, when you're a teenager and you're, like, working your way up. But, like, at the top top, you're doing three turns in the air. That's so crazy. Which is crazy. That is crazy. So, I'm sure right now she was, like, doing, like, probably two. Two turns. But she was kind of weak in other areas. So, I think she was, like...

Emotionally, I think her nerves would get the best of her. And I think she had to work on a little bit more...

Right. But hey, to jump well, that's kind of what's going to like take you there and then everything else, you know. Because it's like big and shiny and exciting. Exactly. But so the rise to the national level continued when she placed third at the 91 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. And then she qualified for the 91 World Figure Skating Championships. And that is when you're like, okay, so you're going to the Olympics if you're good. She's just like moving her way up so fast. She's moving her way up.

And she won the bronze medal at the world championships. Do you get money for those wins? Surely you must get a little something. I believe you're not getting like, so you're not getting like sponsorships yet. I think you get like a check. Right. But I don't think it's a big check. Right. It's not a big check, but then you get to move up faster and go, go to competitions. And I think it's like,

I don't know the exact number of how much you're getting paid. It's not like anything you can make a living off of. But I think then it's like you can... Well, she can have another practice and... Yes. And you can like get a better costume and just things that like it all goes back into helping just get on up there. Yeah, exactly. So her medal was part of the first ever sweep of a woman's podium by a single country at the World Championships. Oh, wow.

There was Christy Yamaguchi. Heard that name. I met her once at my ice game ring. Oh, no way. She came and like talked to all the girls and was like, you guys got this champ. Oh, my God. She's very, very sweet. Wow. So it was Christy. It was Nancy. And? And guess who else was up there? Tanya. And Tanya was up there. Fuck. Tanya was up there and Tanya got silver. Yeah.

Oh, and Nancy got bronze. Mm-hmm. Interessant. So I think, you know, you're just like looking around at the competition. There was nothing really going on yet. I think they were just like, okay, noted. I see you. I see you. And I don't want to see you. Yeah. So...

What is happening now? So Yamaguchi, Christy, was kind of like the content. Everyone was like, she's going to be the one that's going to make it. So I think at this point, Nancy was probably more nervous about her than Tanya. Because this is before Tanya really started doing some crazy shit and breaking records, which we're going to talk about. So the following season, Christy Yamaguchi retired from eligible competition. So Kerrigan became United States champion, even though her performance was flawed.

Because just someone else stepped down? So we're tired? Okay. So she was like, okay, I'll take it. I'll take it. She admitted that she would have to improve her skating if she wanted to be a contender for the 93 Olympics. And then she went to Prague and had this disastrous free skate, which resulted in like falling down five separate times, I think. Ugh.

It was like she was dancing to Beauty and the Beast because that's when the movie first came out. And just like tough, you know, where it's like... And she's just like falling and falling and falling. Oh, honey. Oh, sweetheart, we've all been there. Of course. And so she ends up saying that this was like the lowest point of her life. And you can just kind of tell that she's like... She's a little dramatic. She's a little hard on herself. And she's a little bit of a...

Sore loser. Okay. So I feel like anyone who's competing in the Olympics is a sore loser. I mean, it's like, especially with women, I feel like we're like, oh God, she's so bitchy or like, why can't she just like, but all athletes, I think you kind of have to be like this to get ahead. That I just don't vibe with. Oh, I don't have that either. Like I like truly couldn't care less. Just like it's fine. Um, so her persona is like kind of,

as this frosty ice princess. She would never be happy with anything but first place. There were a lot of times where people would overhear her talking very poorly about her fellow competitors, which is like, once again, men do that all the time. But for figure skating, which is like you're buttoned up and you have to be this like good girl. She was just always talking. She's like always talking shit. I gossip. And in a very like

She was overheard once being like, oh, she's crying. Like, in, like, that kind of voice. When someone, like, didn't win and she was, like, offstage. Like, oh, get over it. Oh. Is she one of all brothers, too? Is that what you said? Okay. So, yes. From, like...

close to Boston, you know? Of course. It just, like, doesn't really, doesn't shock me. No. When she didn't win at nationals one year, she sobbed audibly to the reporters, adding, I just want to die. So she has, like, a fire within her. Yeah, she lives for the drama. Which I also think is interesting in, like, debunking the comparisons. Yeah, because I never would have thought that. Yeah, no, Sam, I thought that she was very, like, shy. Mm-hmm. She was not shy. Mm-hmm.

One of my favorite stories is that she attended a Disney parade once and she was picked up on the mic saying, this is so corny. This is so dumb. I hate it. I hate it. This is the most corny thing I've ever done. And she's literally saying it between her teeth and she's waving to the kids. That is iconic. That is amazing. Like on a float. I love that. I know. So she's in a good place. She's like, she's letting her nerves get the best of her, but she is working her way up to the Olympics.

And she is probably top three of how the media is expecting her to win in terms of like her. Tanya was up there. Oksana Bayul, if you remember her. I don't. Just like there. You know what's crazy to me about like figure skating versus like a team sport at the Olympics? Like basketball. It's like you guys are in soccer. You're all in it together. It's like.

Figure skating, gymnastics on the floor, like you have to get that routine right. And it's all on you. Truly. And like the pressure. And I think like, I know figure skaters and their coaches have like a very, like gymnast, like very intense, intimate relationship. But like at the end of the day, they just push you out there. And then you're like, it's all me now. You just go. You wait for the music to come up. And it's not like a sport that's really based in camaraderie. It's like, there's no like high fives after. Like, I think you're kind of forced to like,

the other figure skaters. You know? Crazy. And it's just like, it's a little dark. Tough. So, as we've been seeing little Tanya popping up, let's talk about Tanya's reputation. Let's do it. And let's just talk about her upbringing. Do you want to guess Tanya's astrological sign? Oh, gosh. A Scorpio? Bingo, Claire. Bingo!

I redeemed myself. I do know a little bit more about her just from what I've seen. So good. Do you know, do you want to guess where she's from? I will say it's in your. Oh, it's in Missouri. It's in your family. Oh, Tennessee. It's in your Bitcoin. Oh, Oregon. She is from Oregon. Wow. Just like not explaining it at all.

We're in Oregon. Portland. Oh, wow. Portland girly. Portland. She was born November 12th. I'm like, do we know anyone with that birthday? That sounded familiar to me. I had someone November 13th. My niece, Emma. Oh! It's for the Emmas. It's for the Emmas. So she was born to LaVonna. LaVonna. LaVonna and Albert. Oh.

This part of the story is a little bit dark and I will offer a trigger warning. There's a little bit about abuse. Parental abuse. Her father had various jobs. He managed apartments.

Drove a truck, worked at different stores, and was often unemployed due to poor health. He just was not a healthy man. That sucks. And I couldn't really find what was going on, but it was hard for him to keep a job. Right. Harding claimed that she was frequently abused by her mother throughout her entire childhood. Her mother was an alcoholic, and she stated by the time that she was seven years old, physical and emotional abuse had just become a regular part of her life. That's so sad. Yeah.

I know. I mean, it sounds so stupid for me even to be like, that's so sad, but it just is. It is sad. It's not fair. It's not fair at all. Um, the movie touches upon it quite a bit. Like Allison Janning. I mean, wow. I mean, it gives me like chills thinking about her performance cause she actually like really looks like her. Like they did a great job with the makeup. I need to watch this movie again. I know. I was going to watch it the other night and then I don't think I'll want to watch it with me. And I was like, but I'm

movie with someone else. I hear that. But I did like that movie. I think it portrays her in a very romanticized way. Like she's the hero. And I almost didn't want to watch it right before this because I thought I'd be influenced a little bit. That is journalism, Tess. That is journalism. I am a journalist. That's true. And I also just wanted to watch a movie with someone else. But codependency at its finest. So, trigger warning...

About sexual assault. Okay. Harding's 2008 biography, The Tanya Tapes, she says that she was the victim of acquaintance rape in 1991, which means that it's by someone that you know pretty well, which a lot of rape situations are with someone that you know, which is just devastating. Did she reveal who? It was her half-brother. Oh, my God. Chris Davidson molested her on several occasions when she was a child. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

And in 1986, I guess Harding once called the police after he had been sexually harassing and terrorizing her. And he was arrested and spent a short time in prison. But Harding said her parents were like, why would you put him in jail? You put him in jail. You did this. Are you joking? Why were you lying about it? I'm sure it wasn't a big deal.

And so her parents threatened to not press any criminal charges against him. Oh, that's devastating. I know. So they completely lacked protection on her part. Yes, they did. Wow, that is very sad. Yes, they did. So little Tanya, to change gears here, she began skating at age three.

three. I know when you see the little kids, Oh my God, it's so cute. They're like first, like they use that little, almost like a walker. It's so sweet. It's so crazy seeing little kids like ice skate or skateboard, something that you're like, how you're barely walking truly though. I mean, this is why she got to where, wow, where she did. Um, and I think just in comparison of like

Nancy in the early years where she's becoming like a figure skater, Tanya is like, she's skating. She's also like hunting. Um, she's, she liked to drag race and do car work with her dad and then like figure skate on this stuff. Like she was just very, I love that she has like all of that in her. Yeah. I think like a little bit more masculine energy. Some might say, um,

And very, the way that she skated was just more aggressive. Yeah. I also think that if you're starting that young, you have less fear about you. So maybe you'll just throw yourself more. Totally. And I think maybe too, like psychologically, if like her childhood is so bad and she just doesn't feel safe at home, I think that you might just have that like mentality of like, what else is there to fucking hurt me? What if I fall? Like it's probably better than what's going on at home. Wow.

So it's very sad. But she kind of also at some point had to start supporting her family because her mom was like kind of like momager. Oh, God. And she wasn't working. And then the dad's like pretty much out of work all the time. So she waitresses and sewed people skating costumes to like put herself through lessons. And then her parents divorced.

uh, when she was 16 years old. That's really, I mean, any time's a tough time, but, and this was just like a really tough time. She was like excelling professionally. Um, but she drops out of high school. Oh my God. She later earns her GED. Okay. Um, but she was just like, you know what, what, what's the point? What is the point? Um, but she's working her way up the ladder. She's, um, placing at the U S figure skating championships for three years in a row in fifth

Six, fifth, and third. So she's going on up. Crazy that she can just like make it happen for herself. Yeah. I mean, I think it's like...

Probably like with anyone's passion. Like also she must have just felt like when she was out there, like not like so invincible, so healing. Yeah. Like you kind of black out in a way from like what I remember is doing like an eighth of probably what she was doing. But like, you're just so, it's so peaceful. You're in it. Like you can just like hear the sounds of like your skates against the ice. Like it's just so, it's so peaceful. Thank you for taking us there. Of course.

Like sometimes when I'm high, I just like think about it and I'm like, oh, I wish I could like, let's get you back on the ice test. But it is just, it's so relaxing. Right. Except when there's like tons of people that you're just like, I'm going to kill someone. Um, but it is a relaxing thing to do. Um, show Harding's whole breakthrough and really what she is known for.

Did you know that she was the first American woman to execute a triple axle? No. And so does that mean like a triple turn in the air? So the axles, what you have to learn on the harness, it's like the hardest jump because a lot of other jumps in figure skating, you have your skate and like the point of your skate to help you like lift off except for the axle, which is you are throwing yourself forward, turning like this.

I'm like, how do you explain it? It's basically like your inertia just helps you get up from throwing yourself up there. Who discovered this? Like who did it first? It's crazy. It's a great question. That's crazy. That is a great question. Um, so yeah, it's just like such a hard jump to accomplish. And she's the first one who did it. She's the first American woman to do it. I think it's just so hard. I think a lot of men had done it. Like, I don't know exactly when the first man did it, but it was just hard to

it was just harder for female figure skaters to do it. Just cause I feel like there's, yeah, the men are more like, sorry, but like muscular. And you have to like fucking train, especially if you're a figure skater for when it sounds like you have to be small. You really do. And I think both of them were probably like under five, three crazy. Like you're just tiny. And also I watched the video of when she completes this,

triple axel and I wouldn't say she barely makes it because it's like it's not the most elegant but she is just so strong and afterwards she like puts her fist in the air and she starts smiling she has like a very audible like yes oh my god I can't wait to watch these videos and then figure skating I know and I think that also is different because like most just like the poise of just like don't show that you're happy like

just keep going. And she, I, she just had this like, fuck yeah, energy to it. And also she was skating to some like eighties rock and roll song. So fun, which I think everyone was like my stars clutching my pearls. Exactly. Um, so, um, the March, March, 1991 world championships, which was an international event, um,

She again completed the triple axel. So she finished second behind little Christy Yamaguchi. She's back. Even though she did the axel? Yes. Okay. Because her points would always be deducted for grace. Got it. So she was really good at like, she was really good at footwork and she was good at spins and jumps, but...

a huge part of it is the elegance and the pointed fingers and the way that your body would just flow and she didn't have that. Right. Which I think is fine but like people didn't like it at that time. Right.

And I think how bad her hair and makeup always looked when she went out there. So tough. I mean, we'll post photos, but I think she just looked a little clownish. Just from what I remember of Margot Robbie, where she's like doing that big smile. And it is. It was very like, you know, it was the 80s, but people just like made fun of her a little bit. Was it like big perm energy? Wow. It was like the.

the curly bangs with the folklore bangs. The folklore bangs with 80s hot pink. Wow, that's tough. I think people were just like, she's strong, but she's not pretty. God, it's so tough being a woman. Oh my God. Truly. And so, after all this was going on at the 1991 Skate America competition, Harding recorded three more firsts.

Or two more, like breaking records. She was the first woman to successfully execute two triple axels in a single competition. Oh my God. Which is crazy. That means like you've got it. Like she's like, this is cute now. Like, and I'm sure everyone else is watching was like, and she was the first ever to compete at triple axle in combination with a double toe loop, which is,

If you can imagine, you've just landed a triple axel and then right again, a triple or a double toe loop, you're like taking off then from your back pick and you lift yourself up and you have to do that immediately after. That's crazy. Crazy shit. Um...

But also kind of like Nancy, I think like with the rise of everything, then she kind of has a little bit of like a tough patch with just like... She wasn't... She had a really hard time like doing the triple axel regularly. Like she did it in these few competitions and then...

She just couldn't get it again. She needed the adrenaline, maybe? Yeah, maybe. She just wasn't able to land it. She sprained her ankle. She changed coaches. This was just kind of like a tough time, I think for both of them, before the Olympics, which is interesting. The pressure was just on? Yeah, the pressure was on, and like...

Yeah, I think it was just getting more competitive and they were getting in their heads. At this point, Nancy was like doing a lot of therapy for her nerves and she was like seeing some... Well, that's good. We love therapy. We love therapy, but like she was seeing like an intense psychologist who would like kind of put her in these like, all right, so you're out there. Oh my God. And like kind of like these... Hypnosis? Hypnosis a little bit. Which is interesting. No kidding. So...

We also need to talk about, in terms of Tanya, this man that she married who is going to be a big star and villain of this story. Who is this man? So this man, his name is Jeff Galooly. Galooly? Galooly. I'm keeping hearting. Thanks, babe.

Yeah, like, oh, no. Yeah, not changing my name to Haluli. No, thank you. And I was listening to the Hollywood Crime podcast about this today because I wanted to hear their take, especially at the end of what...

what they thought happened. And they were like, he just looked like such a Jeff Galooly. Like he just looks like a little cheeseburger. They said, cause he just is this little, like little fucking Jeff Galooly. I'm going to Google him. Dweeb.

You see what I mean? Galooly. How do you... How does one even spell Galooly? It's G-I-L-O-U-L-Y. G-I... Sorry, we can cut this. No, no, no. Okay, here we go. This is important. Oh, I do see ex-husband now. Wow, that mustache. If that mustache could talk. Oh, actually, I just completely told you how to spell it incorrectly because I made a little note for myself of how you pronounce it. Because I was like, Jeff Galooly. Galooly. Galooly. Oh, yeah. He, like...

Wow, they did such a good job with casting in the movie. Because Sebastian Stan plays him, right? Stop. Does he? Right? I don't know. It looks like it could be Sebastian Stan, but hard to tell. I want to say. I want to say. It was Sebastian Stan. Wow. What an actor. So she meets, I'm like, this is the point of the story. I'm going to take a little hit of the joint. Take a hit, baby. Take a hit. Just a little. Not a lot, baby girl. Just a little bit.

Ah, gorgeous. Have a little Drew Martin. Yeah. A chamomile. I think this one's the chamomile lemon. I love the chamomile lemon one. Code Ram 10 for 10% off. You know you need to. So Tanya meets Jeff when she's 15. How old's Jeff? He's 17. Okay, okay. That's better. But...

When she's six, you know, like, she's still underage when they end up getting married. Oh, how old is she when they get married? She, I think, is, like, 17, I want to say. And then he's 19. And, like, she has her parents. Basically, this was a toxic situation from the start. Well, also, she's already, like, dropped out of school and stuff, too. She's dropped out of school. She's probably, like, pretty...

Depressed and probably really doesn't have a good understanding of what a healthy relationship is supposed to look like. And I think we see this a lot with victims of child abuse that...

They, you know, you enter a relationship that also has abuse and you just think that's what's normal. Right. And like, that's what's comforting. Um, so she started experiencing physical abuse from Jeff very early on, like kind of like the start of their relationship. Did they meet in high school? They met at the rink. Oh.

He was like there for something and she was skating. He was like, I like you. Oh. And he's like, and you're going to be a star. Like that sort of dynamic thing, which we've seen that multiple times in this, in this podcast. Exactly. Exactly. Um, her mom like wasn't supportive of it. She was like, I knew that Jeff had a violent streak. I've seen him break down a door on her before. I also don't really want to hear from you on that. You know? I mean, that's like the frustrating thing. It's like, you literally cannot speak about this. Like kind of how dare you? Yeah.

So they filed for divorce two separate times because she was citing abuse allegations against Jeff. But they would get back together. They would. So they were together ish before this, before the attack happened. They were not together after they separated for good after the Nancy incident. That's even more frustrating to me because then what if I'm Tanya and I'm like, now what?

Yeah, exactly. It's like all of that for like, for nothing. For what? Which we're going to get into what is happening right before the incident. What's happening?

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I think it's important to know from like a motivational aspect of this that an Olympic skating champion at this time stood to make more than $1 million in appearances, fees and endorsements.

And Jeff was very interested in that kind of money because he was a fucking loser that didn't have a job of his own. And so he was using Tanya, I think very much as a pawn of being like, you better do this for us. Oh, I hate that. Um, because I believe Nancy at this point had gotten, she did like the Campbell's soup, um, endorsement. Oh really? So she was like getting some good money. We love those national sponsors. I mean, truly call us a cook.

Call us. Is Campbell's Soup still a thing? I was thinking about Campbell's Soup yesterday, actually. I think so. I think they'll be around forever. Yeah. I love canned soup.

Do you? I do. I know. It's like gross, but I just love it. No, it's not gross. You just know I'm not a big soup girlie. I know. Like I love getting like the split pea canned soup and like sprinkling some cheese and like dipping some crackers in there. See, I need to make it more of a meal like that, but never forget handheld tomato Campbell soup. Oh, never. Oh God. It's disgusting. I understand that association is tough. But like I would always buy it or have my mom buy it as a cake because I wanted it, but I didn't.

I get it. I get it. I understand. I do. We digress. We digress. So apparently Jeff is like, all right, it's coming up. It's a coming. So first they're the nationals and then there's the Olympics. And so their plan was to take out Nancy, um,

the championships and that it would linger into the Olympics. So they'd be able to like get her out with a major injury of some kind for those two competitions. Now, and when you're saying there, this is Tanya and cheeseburger show conspiring. Oh yes. Great question. So this quote isn't Tanya. Okay. This whole thing is Jeff.

And three hitmen names are Derek Smith, who was Jeff's friend. This guy, Shane Stant, who was the hitman and the uncle of Derek Smith and Harding's quote bodyguard, Sean Eckhart and,

Who Tonya Harding has ended up being like, he wasn't my fucking bodyguard. He was like Jeff's loser-y friend who was like, I'm this big guy that's going to protect you. She was like, get away from me. I don't need that. So it was the orchestration of this was initiated by Jeff and these dudes. And Tonya at this point, let's just say, had no idea what was happening. Okay. So they get together one night. They're sitting around a table in Portland, Oregon. And

And it's after Christmas. And Jeff is like, you know what? My baby's going to win. And I need you guys to help me. He offers $6,500 to each of them. That's it? Mm-hmm. Which I'm like, I wonder what that was in 94. I mean, I will say, if someone offered me $6,500 now for something... Let's say it's like...

what like 10,000 at least? Yeah. 12? Probably like 10. Let's say it's 10,000. Yeah. And for all these guys they literally were all like okay. Like not the brightest bulbs in the shed. I think in the bunch. Brightest bulbs in the batch. Sharpest tool in the shed. There it is. Brightest bulb in the bunch. Exactly. Yeah. So they're not they're not that. They're not they're not that pretty. They're not that smart.

And they're not that bright. And they're not that bright. So they discussed, like, what could we do? They're like, here's some options. We could cut her Achilles heel. Oh, stop. And then the hitman was like, that seems kind of intense for me to do. Like, I don't really want to, like... I can't see blood. That'd be me. Truly. He's like, I can't, like... Ugh, that makes me want to vomit. Talk about painful. Ugh, my Achilles heel. Wow. That's gorgeous, Clint. I'm so sorry to everyone's ears. Oh, I love that. Um...

And then they were like, look, look, I think if we just did something to her knee, like you would just have to like swing something at her. It's not as graphic. You guys are fricking evil. Like this poor innocent woman. It is crazy. And so they were like, you know what?

We like the knee idea. Get a bat. Let's find her. The first idea, just showing how idiotic these men were. The first idea was to go to her house and do it and like wait till she like essentially like hide in the bushes and wait till she exited her home, which I think she was still living like her parents home where she was living. And so they tried to go there.

And they just like waited and she never came out. And then they're like, oh, fuck, she's practicing. She's not even, she's in Detroit practicing for like the national championships. So once they knew that she was there, they like did a few little things to make sure that that's where she was practicing. They made a few phone calls. They were like, okay, let's double check. What time is she there during the day? And so then on January 6th,

1994, one day before the U.S. Figure Skating Championship First Ladies Singles Competition, Nancy was attacked in a corridor after a practice session at the Detroit Kobo Arena.

The aftermath of the attack was recorded on a news camera. Have you ever seen the footage? No. So people were, which is why I'm also like, you fucking idiots. I mean, they kind of got away with it, which I'm like, that's crazy. But the entire thing from she is skating. She exits the ice. She puts on her little skate guard. And she's by herself. She's by herself. And then she goes behind a curtain. And who is standing there with a 21 inch ASP telescopic baton?

is little Shane using both of his hands. He swung it at her right leg, striking above her knee. Little Shane. I just think of Real Housewives of Orange County. I mean, like kind of not far off physically. To be honest.

He would. Actually, maybe Shane was a little bit more attractive and that's... Which one? This Shane, which I hate to even say that. I mean, he's not an attractive man, but more attractive than... Than Shane from Orange County. I'm sorry. I'm glad you passed the bar, but... Finally. But Jesus, not much else going on for you. So she's like attacked behind this curtain.

And he runs out. Because the cameras would then go down when she passes the curtain. But then all of a sudden they're like, whoop! And they bring the cameras back up. She's screaming. And so they go in through the curtain and they see her...

The cameras? Yeah, the cameras. The news reporters. Oh, there's news cameras. Oh, I see. I was thinking of security cameras. Just like watching. I see. Oh, no. There's like literally like reporters that are filming her. Okay. Probably doing like, let's watch the ladies practice for the free skate or whatever. Okay, now I understand. Yeah. So she like crumbles to the ground.

Um, it wasn't broken, but severely bruised her knee, her knee, forcing her to withdraw from the championships and forego, uh, competing to retain the U S ladies title. We see this famous clip, which maybe a lot of you have seen where it's like her now famous line where she's on the ground and her coach is there. And like, people are like starting to, you know, flock to her and she goes away like that.

That was gorgeous. And it literally sounds like a broken bird. I mean, I probably would do the exact same thing. Yeah, I mean, I think she just was truly like, what the fuck? Like, literally, why? Yeah. I mean, she's a beautiful woman. Yeah, she really is. She's then carried away to a changing room by her father and the camera stopped. That's crazy that they have it recorded like that. Yeah.

Wow. Yeah. So this is interesting to me. So it's kind of, it's great actually because she can't, um,

She can't do the U.S. What's it called? She can't do the figure skating championships. She is too hurt to compete. Of course. Tanya goes and she does very well. And she is just like, no one is talking yet about like, they can't find out who these men are. Tanya is not a suspect. Our reporter is being like, what do you think about Nancy? Yeah.

are asking her what's going on and I think of this no one's like specifically targeting her yet because why would you why would you ever think that yes but I think everyone was just kind of like oh my god like if they were asked about it I think it was very much just like we are so sorry to hear that thoughts and prayers thoughts and prayers show no one Tanya's not being punished for this no one is being punished for it Nancy then actually heals a lot quicker and

Quicker than we thought, which is amazing. So she is able to compete in the Olympics, which I didn't know that.

crazy. That is dedication. That is dedication. And so Nancy and Tanya are competing at the 94 Olympics in February. Oh. In February. She got hit in the knee in January. Yeah, I think like six weeks later. I mean, it was really bruised. Well, you did say little, Shane. Little. You know. Little. I mean, yeah, I think she just like she rested and then she just got back to it. But she had been training forever that she was like, I'm not letting this stop me. Wow. Mm-hmm.

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There's a short program in the Olympics for figure skaters and there's a long program. So the short program is like two and a half minutes and then the longer one is like four to four and a half minutes. And they basically all your points add up to at the end how you will place. So the short program, Nancy skates, everyone's like, oh my God, she is back. She is amazing. And I think at this point when they are like at the Olympics, there's a little bit of like

tension a little tension and i think the public is just like we don't trust tanya i think there was like a now buzz about like could she have done something could she have done it to her like no one's really like knowing about like the husband or whatever but like let's talk about the husband let's talk about the husband um so during the short program tanya

They're like, and Tanya Harding, Tanya, Tanya. And she's like nowhere to be found. She comes out like three minutes later sobbing. And there's that famous moment where she, she goes to the judges and she puts her skate up on like the table and

And she's like, my skates aren't working. My skates aren't, like, working. And they're like, what's happening? And she's basically, which it's like, what could they have been, what's happening with your skates? But she blames this performance saying that her skates failed her. Which it's just like, if they're sharp and they're tied tight, like, what are you talking about? I'm going to say that to you next time we go and use the rental skates. I'm just, like, having a mental breakdown. My skates. My skates. So...

She does horribly. Like, the worst performance of her lifetime. At the Olympics? Yes. And so...

She does very poorly in the short program. She does pretty poorly in the long program. And so she doesn't even place Nancy, which everyone was really rooting for her to get first place because it was like this whole thing just happened to her. A redemption story. A redemption. She gets second place to Oksana Bayul, who's this new up and coming. She gets second place? Yeah, she's never like really won gold, Nancy Kerrigan. It's kind of like a tragedy of the whole thing. Wow. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. So after the Olympics, people are like, all right, let's get back to who did this to her. Yeah. There's an anonymous. I'm sorry. That is just so crazy that Tonya Harding didn't even place and Nancy Kerrigan got second. I know. Karma. Karma. Yeah. And like maybe the universe did a little something to your blades and was just like. What was happening in that room? Do we know? I don't remember in the movie.

Like, why was she was breaking down? Was it because of her skates? Was she just having a mental breakdown? I think she felt the pressure get to her. Yeah. Maybe it was a little bit of guilt. Yeah. Because did she know? Okay. So as we near the end of what the fuck happened, what's going on, who did this? She, there's an anonymous letter that's sent to the FBI. Oh my God, guys. That don't really know who's, people still don't know who sent it, but it's basically like you need to look after her.

And look into Jeff and his little minions, Tanya's husband, about the whole attack. Do you think it was Tanya's mom? Who sent it? That's what a lot of people do think that. Wow. I actually kind of do think that. I totally see it. Yeah. I'm like, could it have been Tanya? If she's like, I didn't do it. No, it's too close. It's too close. Yeah, I feel like she wouldn't even risk that. That's true. So they asked Jeff what the fuck goes on. And he testified. Yeah.

And he then blames the whole thing on Tanya. Jeff? I'm going to need you to zip it. He was like, I was, you know, she's very upset about how she's been placing recently. You know, I heard her on the phone constantly just being like, it's not fair. And I just, you know, I think that she got in her head about it and...

you know, approached me being like, well, we could, you know, eliminate some of the competition. Wow. So he

He said that he and Tanya were literally that night talking about taking out her Achilles heel, and she was part of that. I'm shocked that he immediately was like, yeah, it was me, but I blame Tanya. Yeah, I mean, I think at that point he was just like, yeah, he got me. He's like, okay. And so then Tanya's being interviewed, of course, like immediately, and people are like, okay, well, now we need to talk to you. She basically says...

At first, she's like, I have no idea what he's talking about. I don't know any of this. Then, of course, it kind of changes to... Maybe at some point, I actually heard in the background he was saying something along the lines, like, as a joke. Show. Basically...

Long story short, all these men are being interviewed by the FBI and they're, they're turning themselves in. They're getting sentenced. They're, this is a case for the FBI case for the FBI. They're dropping like flies. Wow. And so now that they're all kind of like they're serving their time, I believe the hitman served 14 months in prison. Okay. Um,

That seems appropriate because she ended up getting second. I mean, it's really not okay. It's actually pretty disturbing that you took money and did this. So maybe we should evaluate you more. You know, it is tough. Yeah. And so now all I is on Tanya. So Tanya is saying she's defensive. She's like, no one controls my life, but me. If there's something that I wouldn't like, I'm going, you know, she's basically just like,

Lay off of me. I am an athlete. I would never do something like this. I'm better than that. So then on, let's see. So then the United States Figure Skating Association made a statement and they're basically like, look, we really need to like figure out how

If she... Even if she, like, wasn't like, yes, go do it. Even if she had any inkling... If she knew about it. Any information about this, that would kind of, like, compromise her titles. That would... You know, like, she... We need to, like, figure this out. Um...

So on January 5th, 1994, the USFSA disciplinary panel stated there were... 1994, sorry. So the same year, the Olympic month. January? That was the day before the attack. February 5th, 1994. I'm so sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself. No, no, no. They stated there were reasonable grounds to believe Harding had violated the sports code of ethics.

Because they were like, you failed to report knowing maybe about an assault on your fellow competitor. And they were like, your FBI transcripts were just like a little sketch. Like, it just seemed like you're kind of making false statements. You're plain dumb about the knowledge that you had. So on March 16th, Harding pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution as a Class C felony offense. Whatever that means. I'm not sure what that means. Basically, she does a plea. Right. Plea deal.

She knew of the attack. Basically, I mean, to this day, she'll be like, I had an inkling. I maybe overheard it. But even that is like technically a crime. Sweetheart, I think that you knew because if I had an inkling that someone was going to do something like that, you would at least confront the person and be like, are you guys talking about this? Yeah. Like for the love of God, don't do that. That's going to affect me.

I'm going to be the one that won't be able to skate anymore. I feel like deep down she was like, well, that wouldn't be the worst thing if that happened. I think a lot of people... I'm like, I...

I am 100% certain there's no way she didn't know something about it. I think she either turned a blind eye. She was like, wouldn't that be hilarious? She kind of gave them a little like... Yeah, she's like, you guys are crazy. And also this woman grew up surrounded by violence, was the only option to protect yourself. So true. It's the only world she knew. So for us being like, oh my God, she wanted to like...

take someone out with a bat to her she's like that's not that bad that's your world that's how you fix things yeah so I think that's a moment where I do have some like space for and compassion compassion for like she violence was not a big deal right to her so maybe she just was like whatever right if it doesn't kill her sad

So she is having to do, you know, she's having to do a lot of things. She had three years of probation. Probation? Probation. Like she, yeah, which they're like, maybe you could come back, which like she, she never did. Oh, okay. A $100,000 fine. $100,000? Mm-hmm. Ugh. 500 hours of community service, which might be the worst part of the whole thing. Take my money. Don't make me pick up trash. I mean, literally, Val. Wow. Wow.

I think I had to do like 25 hours of community service. Because of college? For something I did in college. And I think my sorority just like wrote it off. I was like, can you guys say that I've been like... Write it off. Helping the kids. Yeah, doing something. No, but I just, I was picking up trash and I got sick of it. So I was like, fine. Yeah. And they were like, fine. Just to, you know, it's... It's a lot. It's a lot. 500 hours. That's a lot.

Okay, no, I'm not going to do that. Sing it. I will not do that. I'm so sorry. She had to reimburse the $10,000 in legal expenses, undergo a psychiatric examination...

Well, that probably was helpful, like, just overall. Sweetheart. Seems like you do need some sort of, like... Let's just get you talking to someone. A little bit of therapy, a little bit of... Yeah. And she... Then she volunteered to give $50,000 to Special Olympics Oregon to kind of, like, wrap it up, which is very nice. I love that. Which is very, very nice. And then...

On March 21st, 1994, a Portland grand jury issued an indictment. Indictment. Indictment. Indictment. Indictment. What's indictment versus indictment? Indictment? Indictment? I think it's just indictment. Is it? Why is there a T? Indict. Oh, yeah, yeah. I think it's silent. Okay. Indictment, right? Sure. Stating there was evidence that Harding participated.

In the attack. So that kind of concluded like more of two months of investigation. The jurors just like, yeah, there's no way that she didn't know something. Come on. So what happened to Harding? She was stripped of her 1994 US championship title, banned for life from participating in figure skating events as either a figure skater or a coach. Oh my God. Few skaters and promoters would work with her.

She truly lost everything in her career. That is so... I'm sorry. I feel really bad for her. Like, I know Nancy got her knees bashed in, but this sucks. I think it's a really interesting story because you're like, I kind of have compassion for everyone in it. And if you do look at it from, like, if...

she wasn't the one to really initiate it. She kind of was just like, whatever there are, there was this abusive man who was like, this has to be done. So power dynamic, he's the asshole. He's the asshole. And what she couldn't like hold him back from doing it. I don't think she specifically knew like,

when he was driving to the rink to, I don't think she's innocent, but I also don't think it's fair that this man did something that affected this woman's entire career. It's so sad. And she's still so young while all this is happening. That is such a great point, Claire, because they're in their fucking 20s during this. That's crazy. And they are, it's like life or death to them. Like their mentality, especially for Tanya, I think she's like, this is my way out of like,

truly severe like I mean she had no money growing up um and not much else you know and it's also her passion and she never gets to do it's so sad it's really really sad um

So, Tanya now, she now lives in Washington State with her third husband. She met her current husband at a karaoke bar, and the two married in 2010. Wow. If you can like someone after karaoke, I guess it is true love. That is true. They have a son named Gordon. She's been asked whether she will tell her son, because I think he's still...

Like, I don't know how actually old he is. I think he's like young-ish. Yeah. Might be like a preteen or something. Which I'm like, honey, he's seen probably a lot. Marco Robbie played you in a movie, babe. Like... He's going to see. Gordon's going to know. Yeah. Like, I think he's going to know. And she says, my son will know who his mom is and who his dad is. Who his dad is? Who is his dad? Oh, maybe that's from her... Second marriage? Second marriage? Yeah.

Do your homework, kid. Sorry, I don't know. Basically, she's living her life. She did a wrestling TV show. Not like Dancing with the Stars. Like Wrestling with the Stars? When celebrities would wrestle. Do you remember that? Oh, Tanya, that is tough. Has she gone on Dancing with the Stars? No, but Nancy has. Oh. Yeah. Yeah.

So Nancy, she told, she gave an interview where she said, because everyone's always asking, did Tanya apologize to you? Great question. Tanya said that after it happened, they were at some event, like months after.

And she went up to her and she was just like, I'm so sorry about this whole thing. And Nancy essentially said, fuck you and walked away, which I would say the same. I would say the same thing. Even if like, I didn't think she did it. If I was like, yeah, your fucking husband did this to me. Disgusting. You were dead to me. Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Tanya didn't like that too much. And it just kind of like. Tanya, what do you expect? She was like, I was gracious. So after that, she never apologized again because she was like, she wasn't grateful that I went up to her, which I'm like, grow up a little bit. Yeah. Give it some space. Give it space. And also like, yeah, let her. You back. You. Your party bashed her knee in. Exactly.

There's no coming back from that. So Kerrigan says, we were at an event four years after I was attacked. We didn't... Attacked. But we didn't really speak to each other. So it was very awkward and strange. When the interviewer asks if Nancy has ever gotten an official apology, Kerrigan says, not a direct. Does it even matter at this point? I guess that's a good question. I mean, if it doesn't to you, then I guess it doesn't. Yep. She...

Yeah, I think... Yeah, it doesn't matter. She got her knee bashed in. Truly. And I think also, Nancy is so sick. She was very upset about I, Tonya being made. She was like, I can't believe people are watching this shit because that movie does...

show her as the protagonist and show her that she had this horrible life and it wasn't her fault. She got to have Margot Robbie play her. I just love Margot Robbie so much. She's so good in that movie. Who played Nancy Kerrigan? She's not in it. It shows her back. Oh, really? Oh, that does suck even more. I think they were just like, this isn't about Nancy. It's about Tonya's like...

It was played by a woman named Caitlin Carver, though. Oh, Caitlin Carver. Yeah, she looks like her. Isn't she in Booksmart? I mean, that name sounds so familiar. I'm like, isn't that that little thing? She's a little thing. Um...

she's known for chicago fire oh then maybe that's not who i'm thinking of okay um nancy went on dancing with the stars um she was very open about her um experiences suffering six miscarriages over eight years oh my god um i think her her main story on like dancing with the stars and like in a lot of like press and interviews was just about like fertility and like

Not shaming women for experiencing miscarriages. She does now have three kids, I believe. Oh, wow. But the path to get there is very tough. So she kind of, like, went a different way. She was the executive producer of a sports documentary called Why Do You Lose Five Pounds? Which is about athletes struggling with eating disorders. Oh, wow. After the attack, Nancy says that she, like...

her eating disorder started because of what happened to her. When you can't control like anything else in your life, I feel like eating disorders start to pop up. Yeah. I think she was just like, I became this like national news story where people kind of pity me, which I didn't like that. And, um,

She just said it just became very, very tough for her and a very scary time. And so now she's very passionate about talking about eating disorders and helping other young women. Oh, that's amazing. Which is great. And then she also appeared on an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Kris Jenner invited her as a guest.

a guest on the show to figure skate on the family skating rink at their home that is so crazy crazy like is that necessary check out our christian or episode just so wild to be like and then yeah literally you're just like oh rich rich like if i have a nice charcuterie board at my party i feel like i'm a great host i'm like look aren't i like a millionaire truly and then maybe we can get nancy kerrigan i mean oh my god i looked her up on instagram i think she's only has like

30,000 followers I'm like what if we DM'd her should we get her on this month let's see if we can get her on this month oh my god that would be crazy I would be oh my god I'd be starstruck let's do it but that is Nancy Kerrigan Tanya Harding Tess that one was so fun for me because again like I knew a little bit but not much so I feel like I learned so much in the drama in the scandal you did a fantastic job thank you I had so much fun with that one it is you know it's part of my part of my past it is not part of my future

Wow. But maybe actually if this episode does well. Yeah, exactly. That was so great, Tess. I know everyone's going to love it. Oh, good. Well, we hope you guys are excited for sports month. We're going to have an interesting episode next week. That's true. We're going to get into more scandals. It's just like, it's so fun. Who would have thought? Sports and scandals. And if you have any more suggestions, we, there turns out there's a lot of Mondays in July. So yeah,

Message us. We're going to have a fun guest. Yes. But please follow us on Instagram and TikTok at writinganswersmostly. Subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and write that review. Yes. We are now doing free seven-day Patreon trial. So it is free for seven days and you can binge all the episodes and cancel. You can keep going because you realize how fun it is. Exactly. So patreon.com slash writinganswersmostly for all the tea. All the tea. We always spill it. And we love you guys.

We do love you guys. And hey, just keep skating on.