By Josh Gondelman — 16 Feb 2026

#171. The Cheating Biathlete and You

Hi everyone,

It's Monday morning again and my neighborhood has been covered by a beautiful dusting of fresh snow...on top of the preexisting filth dunes of old snow. I will say, it's a slight improvement if you don't think too hard about what's beneath. Also, it's a holiday, which I keep forgetting. If we're going to have a Presidents' Day, we should specify which ones we're celebrating. They don't all deserve it!

Another eventful week really snuck up on me. On Friday night I got to be a part of a great new reading (series?), and on Saturday I got to watch Maris be a part of a great and slightly less new reading series and then I had a late spot at the Comedy Cellar. So we did our Valentine's Day (Observed) date last night, which entailed pulling ourselves away from the coverage of Olympic curling for an evening on the town. (It was, I will say, worth it!)

On Sunday morning, though, we got to attend our big event for the week – the premiere of children's educator/entertainer Ms. Rachel's new episode about (scroll down if you want to avoid spoilers): Friendship! It was substantially different than the last movie we'd seen about friendship...Friendship starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd. But it was a really wonderful and heartening morning. Probably because it did not feel like watching the movie Friendship, a terrifying fever dream that I also loved. And while we were there, we picked up a copy of Mychal Threets's new children's book to give to a baby friend.

I'm So Happy You're Here: A Celebration of Library Joy by Mychal Threets in front of our bookshelf. — Subtle product placement for Maris's book as well.

I legitimately could not believe how rapt a room full of kids stayed for the entire hour of the premiere, which included a screening but also some opportunities for an in-person singalong. Many of the kids who were part of the episode were present, and huge cheers erupted whenever they, or the other adult figures in the MRCU (Ms. Rachel Cinematic Universe) appeared onscreen. It's good to know that since my days as a preschool teacher, many of the classic bits that make little kids laugh have stayed steady: Pretending you don't know how to count, saying words wrong, puppets doing basically anything, making up gross fake foods. You know, the hits!

Ms. Rachel was so gracious and warm and respectful towards all the kids in the room. I mention the respect because the thing that stuck out most for me from the video (again, spoilers) was how appreciative she is when the children share something with her. Whenever a child tells her something about their culture or teaches her a word in Spanish or French or Hebrew or Arabic, Ms. Rachel replies: "Thank you for teaching me that." It was a nice reminder, even for me, ostensibly an adult, to be open to learning and appreciative of people who are willing and able to share the things they know with me. But it's especially a lovely quality to instill in her young viewers. The idea that it's good to be curious, and that even small acts of generosity are worth appreciating.

Three pictures of me and Maris from the photo booth at the Ms. Rachel event. I am holding a big prop donut and Maris is holding a big prop microphone. We're in front of a sparkly red curtain. I'm wearing a suit that doesn't really read on camera it turns out. — We took so many nice pictures together this weekend, and here are three of them.

The premiere event was put on in conjunction with the Palestine Children's Relief Fund which, among other things, provides urgent aid to children in Gaza. It was also really striking to me how clearly and gently the representatives from PCRF (as well as Ms. Rachel) talked about helping kids in scary situations without making the kids in the room feel scared. Although many of the children present were there with the organization and know firsthand how unsafe the world can be sometimes. The whole event was so sweet and beautiful, and a testament to how much goodness is possible when we find opportunities to cultivate it.

In Josh Gondelman news, I'll be on TV tonight! Well, technically tomorrow morning. At 12:30am on CBS after Colbert, I'm appearing on the new episode of Comics Unleashed. It's a half-hour panel show where comedian and Weather Channel owner Byron Allen tees up comics to do their scripted material and then everyone riffs a little bit. My panel of comedians was really warm and collaborative which made the whole taping feel fun and silly and not stressful. The audience is also extremely well coached to give a lot of energy to the performers, which was a relief as well and made the taping a blast! The producers ask you to do a BUNCH of material, and I'm curious to see what makes it to air! Regardless, a huge victory was that I wore the sweater my mother-in-law had bought me for my birthday earlier in the week for the taping. Thanks, Susan! And thank you, Weather Channel owner Byron Allen (and team)!

Colin Moulton, Jenny Zigrino, Byron Allen, Me, Chris Spencer on the set of Comics Unleashed. — No leashes in sight.

Plus, last week I was asked to write a little piece for Playboy about how being married can be good and nice. I think it came out really well! I'd love if you felt up to reading it and maybe sharing it too! It's called: "Love Can Look Like Anything, Even Marriage."

I also had a great time returning to Doug Loves Movies (where I'll be re-returning soon as a defending champion...another spoiler, I guess)! And The Nightly for Hatch has been SO much fun lately. The episode Matt Bragg and I co-hosted with guest Jo Firestone has made me laugh every time I've thought about it.

I'll be hanging out at Frankenstein's Baby tonight in Brooklyn, and I think if you're around you should come see the show too!

Big picture to signify the amount of tickets still available.

And! This weekend! February 20th and 21st! I'll be in Philadelphia for three shows at the Fitler Club (presented by Helium)! I'd love to see you there, people of Philly!

PEP TALK FOR THE CHEATING BIATHLETE

The cheating Norwegian biathlete holding his skis, his poles, and a bronze medal. — That's the guy! FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images

No one in history has occupied multiple points simultaneously on the spectrum from Up Big to Down Bad the way Strula Holm Laegreid did last week. The Norwegian athlete won two bronze medals at the Olympics, and after the first one he issued a public plea for his girlfriend – whom he publicly admitted to cheating on during this plea – to take him back. On one hand, kudos for the big swing at redemption. Most people in the throes of heartbreak do not have an internationally televised platform on which they can beg for forgiveness. You really made the most of your opportunity, even if doing so after winning a biathlon does come with the implication: "Remember...I have a gun."

Laegreid's girlfriend, speaking anonymously which I COMPLETELY understand, declined to take him back. That is absolutely her prerogative. She has seen him at his worst (cheating on her) and now does not want him at his best (two Olympic medals). To me, that's a pretty clear sign that someone does not want to be with someone else. If you can see your ex groveling for your clemency while at the top of their game and still turn them down, it's probably over for real.

"I told her a week ago. And it's been the worst week of my life," Laegreid said, regarding the cheating. That is preposterous timing. Especially considering that the couple had been together for roughly six months and the infidelity took place three months in. So the timeline is: They start dating...three months pass...he cheats...two months and three weeks pass...he confesses...they break up...one week passes...THE OLYMPICS.

I don't know what motivated Laegreid to make his disclosure at that specific moment. I've heard that athletes sometimes abstain from sexual activity leading up to competition. And what better way to ensure chastity than to have a girlfriend who is furious at you? Although, one's girlfriend's state of mind is less relevant to how much sex one is having if you're going to cheat on her anyway. (Girlfriends HATE this one simple trick!) And of course he overshot that goal – assuming that was the goal at all – considering that they broke up entirely.

Buddy, you fucked up! But you did it at the best possible time. You now have tangible, copper-colored proof that you possess a great capacity for dedication and tenacity. Nobody wins an Olympic medal by accident. In the history of the games, I would wager that not a single person tripped, landed on a bobsled, and skidded their way to an unexpected victory. You achieved something rare and special through hard work and devotion.

However, you failed to apply your ability to commit towards not cheating on your girlfriend for more than a fiscal quarter. And then you DID persevere in hiding that fact from her for an additional three or so fortnights. This behavior doesn't have to define who you are going forward. Although it did become slightly more definitional when you said it on television. That is (also) on you.

A bronze medal is kind of a beautiful microcosm of the position you're in right now, Strula. It's a signifier that you are able to do great things when you fully invest yourself in the goal. But it is also visual proof that sometimes you fall short even when you try your best. Much like your place on the medal stand, love relies on the way other people think and feel and act. But good luck out there! I believe that someday you can win a bronze medal in being a good boyfriend, which isn't the peak of human achievement, but it's still better than almost anyone can do. And it's definitely a step up from your recent finish.

PEP TALK FOR A READER

This is a heavy one.

We could definitely use a pep talk this week. We lost out 8-year-old Amelia on Sunday due to complications from her CLN1 Batten Disease. It's a rare, terminal condition, so we knew this day would come eventually (especially since rare disease research funding is so ridiculously difficult), but it still hurts immensely.
- Amelia's Parents

I obviously don't have a ton of chipper things to say in response to the saddest news anyone can give or receive. I do know that this family worked so hard to give Amelia and other kids with CLN1 Batten Disease the best possible life. In fact, they are currently involved in a fundraising effort they asked me to share here.

The impulse to allow your grief to guide you towards even more openness and generosity is so moving to witness. I hope that as you're working so hard to take care of others and create a better future, you're allowing yourselves to be cared for as well. It sounds like you were as materially prepared for Amelia's death as you could be, but even so, you deserve the kind of compassion for yourselves and each other that you are giving to the wider world.

On Friday night I got to hear my friend Claudia read an extremely beautiful remembrance of someone she lost a couple of years ago. She wrote so vividly about how grief isn't the end of love, both for the person who is gone and for the other people in your life. Between Claudia's story and this message and seeing Ms. Rachel's work with the PCRF up close, my week has been full of reminders that the world is full of often-arbitrary cruelty and pain, and that the only way to combat that facet of reality is through care and community. I hope that you have plenty of both around you right now and into the future.

May Amelia's memory be a blessing.

PICK-ME-UP SONG OF THE WEEK: Jobi Riccio - "Buzzkill"

I once again found a song I like very much in a lightly embarrassing way (browsing the WHAT'S NEW? screen or whatever they call it on Apple Music). This song is, as you might expect from the title, about being a bummer, but in a self-aware way that makes it not a bummer to listen to. I immediately texted my excellent friend Natalie Weiner who co-writes the terrific country music newsletter Don't Rock The Inbox because I thought the chug and twang might appeal to her, but obviously when I looked in her newsletter archives, I realized that Natalie was already aware of Jobi Riccio. I did also bug her to listen to the new Ratboys album which I shouted out here a few weeks ago, but I enjoy it even more on repeated listenings. There's a little country lilt to "Penny in the Lake" and "Strange Love" that I like a lot. And then the next week Natalie's co-writer Marissa wrote a little bit about that record. Coincidence??? Yes absolutely for certain!

I'm not sure what's clicking with this kind of stuff for me lately. Some of it is the lyrical wryness. Some of it is the train-coming-down-the-tracks momentum. But these records also have a not too hard/not too soft sound that has felt like a sweet spot for me the past month or two.

My best endorsement of this song is the following: I am able to overlook the devastating feeling of hearing the artist sing about the hard-earned wisdom they've come by at their (current) age of...25. OOF. Kicked me right in the ribs there, but I'll take it. It's got a good hook.