NBC reporter Christin Cooper drove US skier Bode Miller to tears in a cringe-worthy interview after his bronze-medal win in the men’s super-G at the Sochi Olympics.
The 36-year-old skier — whose win made him the oldest athlete to win an Olympic alpine medal and the second most-medaled male skier in history — was already emotional Sunday after holding onto a tie for third place when Cooper began hammering him with questions about his little brother, who died at age 29 last year after a seizure.
As Miller wept, Cooper kept up her line of questioning, pushing him to the point where he collapsed in a heap.
NBC then trained its cameras, from several angles, on Miller for a full minute after the interview.
By then, the Twitterverse had erupted in fury.
“What I just saw from NBC reporter Christin Cooper interviewing Bode Miller was completely tasteless and unacceptable,” wrote one viewer.
Another wrote: “That interview of Bode Miller was the worst thing yet. Shame on you @NBC.”
Among the other tweets blasting Cooper:
* “Wow, the thing that interviewer just did to Bode Miller was SUPER disgusting.”
* “There was no journalism in that interview with Bode Miller, just badgering and scrounging.”
* “Sad that the reporter kept asking Bode Miller q’s after he was emotionally distraught. I know that’s her job, but have some respect . . .”
* “Christin Cooper is as insensitive as they come. A shameful badgering of Bode Miller until he broke down.”
Miller tried to quell the uprising Monday.
“I appreciate everyone sticking up for me. Please be gentle w christin cooper, it was crazy emotional and not all her fault. #heatofthemoment,” he tweeted.
“My emotions were very raw, she asked the questions that every interviewer would have, pushing is part of it, she wasn’t trying to cause pain.”
NBC Sports also defended Cooper’s interview.
“Our intent was to convey the emotion that Bode Miller was feeling after winning his bronze medal,” it said in a statement. “We understand how some viewers thought the line of questioning went too far, but it was our judgment that his answers were a necessary part of the story. We’re gratified that Bode has been publicly supportive of Christin Cooper and the overall interview.”
Miller’s 29-year-old snowboarder brother, Chelone “Chilly” Miller, was an Olympic hopeful who died in April 2013 from a seizure related to a 2005 head injury.
As Miller prepared to ski the super-G, NBC aired a tear-jerker feature segment on the brothers.