Ray Romano and Sebastian Maniscalco help kickstart 2026 Winter Olympics

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — NBC is continuing its strategy of infusing the Olympics with pop culture and celebrity appeal to generate momentum ahead of the Milan-Cortina Winter Games in Italy next year.

This time, Italian American comedians Ray Romano and Sebastian Maniscalco will make their debut during a comical promotion, the network said on Wednesday. The commercial will air during NBC’s Kentucky Derby coverage on Saturday.

In the spot, Romano and Maniscalco stand atop the Italian Alps with snowboards in hand, attempting to discuss thrilling winter sports like skiing, snowboarding and luge. But their discussion is repeatedly sidetracked by their shared obsession with Italian food.

“Ray and I teamed up for the Olympics, two Italian guys trying to figure out winter sports,” Maniscalco said in a statement. “Let’s just say, we thought ‘luge’ was a type of pasta.”

Romano and Maniscalco filmed the commercial in Los Angeles, with the mountaintop backdrop brought to life by Industrial Light & Magic, the visual effects company founded by George Lucas and recently known for its work on “The Mandalorian.”

The network said Romano and Maniscalco were an easy choice to start building anticipation for the Winter Games.

“Both are instantly recognizable, deeply beloved, and naturally funny,” said Joseph Lee, senior vice president of creative marketing, sports and entertainment at NBC. He said the network is using the same playbook of enlisting entertainers and athletes.

Last year, popular figures who appeared in promo spots included Snoop Dogg, Megan Thee Stallion, Simone Biles, Peyton Manning, Cardi B, SZA and Lily Collins.

“We’re running the same playbook across the campaign: pairing entertainment personalities with the Olympics (and often Olympians) in fun, unexpected ways,” Lee said. “It’s how we’ll continue to keep the Games culturally relevant — and genuinely entertaining.”