Olympian Gabby Douglas Talks Meeting Kate Middleton, Egg McMuffins and Rio 2016

Two-time gold medalist sits down with Jay Leno—and Michelle Obama—on The Tonight Show

By Natalie Finn Aug 14, 2012 5:00 AMTags
Gabby Douglas, Jay Leno, The Tonight ShowNBC

Fresh from winning two gold medals, the Flying Squirrel landed at The Tonight Show Monday.

"It's definitely sunk in now," gymnast Gabby Douglas told Jay Leno of being an Olympic champion, a feeling that didn't quite connect when she was on the podium (twice) but that totally hit her once she was back in the United States.

Asked if the dream matched the reality, the 16-year-old, smartly clad in a shiny gold skirt and fitted black leather jacket, said that the two are actually very different—"different in a better way."

"I never thought I'd be doing the show with the first lady—and even you, Jay," Douglas added, referring to Leno's other guest tonight, Michelle Obama, who led the U.S. delegation in London this summer.

"We didn't have time to celebrate [the team gold medal], we had to turn the page to the all-around, and the event finals after that," the teen said. But how did she celebrate afteward?

"I splurged on an Egg McMuffin at McDonald's," she revealed.

"Gabby, don't encourage him," Obama interjected, having spent part of her interview segment poking fun at Leno's yen for junk food. "You're setting me back, Gabby, I worked so hard."

Douglas called meeting Kate Middleton, who really made the rounds during the Olympic fortnight, "definitely an exciting experience."

"My teammate [Ali Raisman] told her, 'I like your fashion,' and she said, "I like your leos.'" (Even McKayla Maroney had to have been impressed, right?)

Leno also had Douglas critique a pic of Michelle Obama doing a headstand as a wee girl—"I think that's amazing, her form is a 10"—and asked if she planned on competing at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

"Definitely," the petite champion said.