Karl Stefanovic laughed when Kaylee McKeown swore during a live interview after winning gold in a thrilling 100m backstroke final at the Paris Olympics.
Ellie Cole interviewed McKeown on Channel Nine’s Today show following her win on Tuesday and asked her if she had a message for her family.
Do you have a message for [your family] “Thank you for the support they’ve given you over the past three years?” she asked.
McKeown responded, “There are no words to describe how much I appreciate their support. They’re dealing with a lot of shit, so thank you for that.”
After the interview aired, Karl told the young viewers that McKeown was allowed to swear because she had won a gold medal.
“She said sh*t. To all the kids who were watching here before school this morning, hey, you know what? She won a gold medal, she can say whatever she wants,” he joked.
McKeown is only the second woman to win back-to-back gold medals in the 100-meter backstroke in Olympic history, following American Natalie Coughlin in 2004 and 2008.
After the win, she also paid tribute to her father Sholto, who passed away from brain cancer in 2020.
Karl Stefanovic was amused after Kaylee McKeown swore during a live interview after winning gold again in a thrilling 100m backstroke final at the Paris Olympics
“I think I have a little superpower, and that’s my dad,” McKeown said.
“I believe he was with me tonight, so I’m over the moon.”
When her father was asked what he would say to her if he could have seen the victory, McKeown, who used the swear word on live television after her victory at the Tokyo Olympics, replied: ‘I’m not going to swear, he would be so proud.
“It’s great that my family is here because I know he’s with us in spirit.”
The Queenslander won gold in the 100 and 200 metre backstroke at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
Ellie Cole interviewed Kaylee after her win and asked her if she had a message for her family. “There are no words to describe how much I appreciate their support. They’re dealing with a lot of shit, so thank you for that,” she replied
On Thursday she will begin defending her 200m title with heats and semi-finals leading up to the medal race on Friday.
McKeown has also added the 200m individual medley to her schedule for Paris, with the final of that event on Saturday.
She has now won four gold medals in her Olympic career and was also part of the Australian women’s 4x100m medley team that triumphed in Tokyo.
She will also likely compete in the medley final with the Australian team, which will be decided on Sunday on the last day of competition in the swimming pool in Paris.
McKeown is only the second woman to win back-to-back gold medals in the 100-meter backstroke in Olympic history, following American Natalie Coughlin in 2004 and 2008