Commentators Mary Carillo and Terry Gannon hosted the NBC broadcast of the ceremony, which features a traditional performance by the host country of every Olympic Games. See the artists who used music to unite the viewers across the world before athletes compete across sports from skiing to ice hockey, vying for gold.

The performance in Milan looked squarely at the past, both in substance and in style.

Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance were spotted at the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday night in Milan, Italy.

Mariah Carey took center stage to help kick off the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony at 100-year-old San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy.

Those are a lot of boos for him,’ a commentator said as the audience in Milan reacted to the U.S. vice president’s presence on Friday.

The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics kicked off with an opening ceremony on Friday that averaged 21.4 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

The Olympic Winter Games in Milan kicked off with a stunning slate of performances.