Mike Tirico shares new details about abrupt Kentucky Derby exit due to nut allergy

NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico had to leave Saturday’s coverage of the Kentucky Derby due to a nut allergy. He happened to eat something that contained nuts when he’s usually very careful.

But, Tirico is fine and will press on. He joined Today on Monday morning to explain what happened because it was sudden. Tirico put all worry to rest when he shared a statement on social media.

“I feel fine, I have my coffee watching the show like I do every morning, and sadly, I’ve become part of the show here,” Tirico said on Today. “In all seriousness, and it is serious. I’ve had a nut allergy my whole life, and usually very, very careful. As a matter of fact, when I was doing the show for a few days, one of the things I pointed out was, if we have a cooking segment, I have a nut allergy, so I don’t want to eat anything with nuts. And usually you go to a restaurant, you ask, I bring it up on a regular basis, and whatever I ended up eating during the day, usually do that snack grazing that a lot of us in TV do so you’re not eating a big meal before you go on the air, I ate something that had a nut in it and had a nut allergy, clogs your throat and your nose and all that stuff to kind of clog up and swell, and did affect your breathing a little bit. 

“So, wasn’t feeling well, couldn’t go on with the show, took an EpiPen shot, got treated by EMTs. felt better as about eight, nine o’clock came along. But it takes a while for it to get out of your system. And thank goodness Ahmed Fareed, who’s great, was there and filled in more than a plane. The show went on without us.”

Tirico has been the voice of NBC’s Kentucky Derby coverage the last few years. However, he opted to sit out the rest of the day, fellow host Ahmed Fareed said on the broadcast, although he is feeling better.

Tirico joined NBC Sports in 2016 after a long run at ESPN and ABC starting in 1991. He succeeded Tom Hammond as the host of Kentucky Derby coverage in 2017, and his list of duties includes play-by-play for Sunday Night Football alongside Cris Collinsworth and leading coverage of the Olympics. Before succeeding Al Michaels on SNF, Tirico hosted the Football Night in America pregame show and served as the voice of Notre Dame football on NBC.

In his absence, Fareed served as the lead host for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby coverage. He also contributes to NBC’s college football and basketball coverage, serving as the host of the network’s College Countdown show while contributing to horse racing and Premier League coverage. He also hosted Football Night in America during the 2023 season while Maria Taylor was on maternity leave.