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Tonya Harding announced her unexpected arrival on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday (January 29).
The former Olympic figure skater posted a video to say hello on the popular social media platform, prompting a wide array of responses.
“Hi everyone! I’ve finally figured out how to make an account on here!!” her first post on X read. “I’m very excited to reconnect with you all (if anyone remembers me). With love, Tonya.”
In the video, she added: “Hey everyone! I am Tonya Harding, and I’m on X!
“Oh my God, I’m so excited!”
“Happy New Year,” she added, before blowing a goodbye kiss to the camera. “Join me there and let’s chat it up. Love you! God bless!”
Unsurprisingly, many people were quick to joke about her infamous 1994 skating scandal.
Harding, who was 24 at the time, and her biggest figure skating rival, Nancy Kerrigan were competing in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships to see who would earn a spot in the Winter Olympics in Norway.
On January 6, Kerrigan was attacked after a practice session, suffering a knee injury that jeopardized her Olympic chances. The attack was orchestrated by associates of Harding, including her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly. While Harding initially denied involvement in planning the attack, she later admitted to hindering the investigation and was banned for life from U.S. Figure Skating.
She was sentenced to three years of probation and 500 hours of community service, plus ordered to pay a fine of $160,000.
“I was wondering why my knee was hurting…” one person commented under Harding’s X post. “Anyway, I’m sure you’re going to be a big hit on here. Let us know if you kneed any pointers.”
“This tweet hit me like a crowbar to the knee,” another person joked.
“Good luck! Break a leg,” a third commented.
The night after Harding joined X, an American Airlines flight coming in from Kansas collided with an Army helicopter in Washington D.C., leaving 67 people dead. 14 of the flight’s passengers were members of the figure skating community.
Harding responded to the tragic news on Thursday, tweeting: “The events that took place last night in Washington, DC are absolutely devastating. I’m being told that several professional figure skaters were aboard the flight as well. Sending my love and prayers to all the victims and their families.”
