Mike Tirico stepped away from his role as NBC’s host for the Kentucky Derby due to an allergic reaction for a nut allergy.
Ahmed Fareed filled in for Tirico — who was in his ninth year hosting the Derby for NBC — and revealed during a segment of the broadcast Saturday that Tirico has a nut allergy and had a reaction earlier in the day.
“He is feeling fine now,” Fareed said, “but he is just gonna stay on the sideline.”
Tirico has been a staple of NBC’s coverage of the Derby since 2017, while he also works as the voice of “Sunday Night Football” and will serve as the network’s No. 1 broadcaster for NBA games once the network gets a portion of its broadcasting rights next season, among other assignments.
He traveled to Churchill Downs and was featured in coverage for the network leading up to the Derby.
Tirico participated in an interview for the “Up & Adams” show Friday, when he was asked about a variety of topics by host Kay Adams that included the Kentucky Derby, Aaron Rodgers’ unclear status for 2025 and the lasting impact of former Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who transitioned into a new role as team president after stepping down as coach.
Fareed replaced Tirico around an hour into NBC’s coverage Saturday, according to Awful Announcing, and the outlet added that social media users thought something seemed off with Tirico’s voice.
When Fareed announced earlier in the broadcast that Tirico was sidelined due to an unspecified illness, he left the door open for Tirico to eventually return later in the day if he felt better — before eventually following up with the update about the allergy and reaction.
“Mike, as you may have heard, is a little under the weather right now,” Fareed said during his initial update. “So I’m gonna step in and take over for a bit. It is not like baseball. If the closer comes in, the starter can come back in the game. So rest assured, when Mike is feeling better, he will be right back in this seat.”
NBC also posted an X clip Friday that captured Tirico giving viewers a behind-the-scenes tour of the network’s studio at Churchill Downs.
Journalism entered as the favorite to win the 151st running of the Derby, followed by Sovereignty and Sandman, as the Triple Crown schedule begins — with the Preakness Stakes following on May 17 before the Belmont Stakes takes place June 7 at Saratoga Race Course.