Michael Phelps was face to face with #PhelpsFace, thanks to Jimmy Fallon.
Fallon showed Phelps a life-size cutout of his famous scowl from the Rio Olympic ready room in a “Tonight Show” appearance on Thursday.
Phelps, expecting a #PhelpsFace question before the sitdown interview, laughed and told the story behind the viral expression.
“I was sitting in the ready room, and I remember, I always know there’s two cameras in the upper right-hand corner right before I walk out, and I’m like sitting there, like spitting water, like what is going on,” he said. “As I’m making a face, I was like, yep, that’s on camera. ... Someone will pick that one up tomorrow.”
Phelps also discussed his overall assessment of how Rio put on the Olympics, his full-plate schedule of travel, golfing, coaching and getting married later this year and son Boomer’s Instagram.
“He’s got to be the most followed baby in the world,” noted Phelps, who said he runs Boomer’s account, which has gone from 5,000 followers in late June to 670,000.
The full episode is here, with Phelps’ interview in the third segment. In the fourth segment, Phelps plays egg Russian roulette with Fallon.