Taylor Swift is cheering on Simone Biles during her grand return to the Tokyo Summer Olympics on Tuesday (Aug. 3) with a brand-new NBC promo.
Biles, who is the most decorated gymnast of all time, made a (spoiler alert!) medal-winning comeback early Tuesday morning after withdrawing from her previous events last week citing mental health issues. The 24-year-old athlete took home bronze in the balance beam, which will air as part of NBC’s primetime coverage Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
“What do we want from our heroes?” Swift asks in the promo, supporting NBC’s coverage of the games. “What do we expect from them? What do we need from them? What happens when they surprise us? When you have the attention of the world, everything you do takes on a bigger meaning. It can be a heavy burden. It can be a chance to change everything.”
“This Is Me Trying” from Swift’s 2020 album of the year Grammy winner Folklore plays in the background of the new video, while the Team USA gymnast’s own interview snippet captures what she stands for: “Put mental health first because it shows how strong of a competitor and person that you really are.”
“Throughout the last week, her voice has been as significant as her talents,” Swift continues her narration. “Her honesty as beautiful as the perfection that had long been her signature. But don’t you see? It still is. She is perfectly human. And that’s what makes it so easy to call her a hero. Simone Biles, back on the beam, in Tokyo.”
Biles was touched by the personal promo, tweeting, “I’m crying how special. I love you @taylorswift13.” Swift responded: “I cried watching YOU. I feel so lucky to have gotten to watch you all these years, but this week was a lesson in emotional intelligence and resilience. We all learned from you. Thank you.”
Last week, the pop superstar narrated another NBC promo, soundtracked by the title track of her 2020 Evermore album with Bon Iver, that hyped fans up for the women’s gymnastics individual all-around competition. Justin Bieber also stood in support of Biles pulling out from the competition to focus on her mental health by posting her picture on Instagram last Wednesday and writing, “Nobody will ever understand the pressures you face! I know we don’t know each other but I’m so proud of the decision to withdraw…. Sometimes our no’s are more powerful than our yes’s.”
Watch the promo clip as well as Biles’ and Swift’s touching exchange below.
