Laurie Hernandez on Olympic Memories, ‘DWTS’ and Acting at NYU: ‘Gosh, I Love Performance’ (Exclusive)
The Olympic gymnast opens up about Rio in 2016, ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and her next chapter as an actor
The world first met Laurie Hernandez when she traveled to Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympics and scored a gold and silver medal for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team. Now, at 25, she’s retired from the sport, but hasn’t slowed down one bit. The gymnast is go-go-go as she finishes up her last semester at New York University as an acting major. Woman’s World caught up with her in an exclusive interview about college life and what’s next for the star athlete.
Laurie Hernandez’s most memorable moments from the 2016 Rio Olympics
As an Olympic gold medalist, Hernandez certainly has dozens of highlights from her experience in Rio. But when she thinks back on her time there—nearly 10 years later—it’s the small moments that stick out to her.
“The first one that comes to mind is all of our [time] in the Olympic Village and in our apartment,” Hernandez recalled. “We were able to watch other athletes on the TV. We would sit on bean bags and kind of huddle up; it was such a cute moment. I had a lot of moments where I was, like, ‘I have to take this in. I have to remember this.’ But in the moments where we were lounging around, I was just so relaxed and wasn’t stressed about it being a moment I needed to remember. And yet, I remember those the most… There was a lot of laughter and a lot of giggling.”
Why fans loved Laurie Hernandez’s commentary at the Paris 2024 Olympics
Since retiring from competitive gymnastics in 2021, Hernandez has embraced a new role at major sporting events: commentator. She brought her signature enthusiasm and expertise to the 2024 Paris Olympics, earning widespread praise from fans and critics alike for her energetic and insightful style.
“I would love to [commentate again],” Hernandez confirmed. “I get to just be myself, my little, chatty, chronically online self and talk about all the different things that I’m seeing, and I get to geek out… And hopefully gym fans and new fans alike can enjoy what they’re seeing… I was extremely honored to commentate Paris, and I would love to do it again.”
Laurie Hernandez reflects on winning ‘Dancing With the Stars’ at just 16
Just weeks after her Olympic win, Laurie traded in her leotard for dance shoes when she joined the cast of Season 23 of Dancing with the Stars. The gymnast, who was just 16 years old at the time, was partnered up with pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy and became the youngest winner in the history of the show, a title she still holds.
“That was such a huge honor,” she explained. “And I’m not biased—I had the best partner ever. Val is awesome. Val is literally the best human being. So caring, so patient and such a perfectionist in the way that he has a creative vision and wants to execute it, because he knows that his partners have the ability to create something incredible. He knows that he can be a part of that and make the partner shine. And I felt that a lot, especially as a 16-year-old, that he was constantly tailoring to me and wondering, ‘How can we raise you up? How can we make you look your best?’ He was so careful, such an older brother, constantly watching out for me. That show is awesome.”
Inside Laurie Hernandez’s acting (and voice acting!) dreams after gymnastics
Even though she grew up as a hardcore gymnast, Hernandez has a lot of other interests that she hopes to pursue in her future. As an acting major, Hernandez is taking the next step in achieving one of her biggest passions: voice acting.
“My dad loves to do funny voices, so I grew up imitating him and parodying anyone that I would see on TV,” she explained. “I always knew that I wanted to get into voice acting and animation, and that’s something that I’m excited to continue pursuing.”
But that’s not the only medium she is excited to work in. Hernandez is ready to take the stage or step onto the screen, as long as the story speaks to her.
“If it’s a really good story, I want to be a part of it,” she said. “I don’t care what the medium is. I love emotionally complex, character-driven stories. It could be set in any world—fantasy, action, historical fiction—but if there’s a lot of heart in there, I want in.”
But for now, Hernandez is focusing on finishing up her last few college credits and walking across the stage to accept her diploma.
“I’m graduating from NYU, so I’m excited for that,” she shared. “This is pretty much my last semester. It has been a wild four years, and I feel a lot of pride and a lot of gratitude and excitement, because transitioning from sports into the next chapter can be really intimidating and overwhelming. And I feel lucky that even while I was competing, I was, like, ‘Gosh, I love performance.’—I feel very lucky.”
On her new role highlighting the ‘invisible workouts’ of parents
Growing up balancing the demands of gymnastics and childhood, Laurie Hernandez developed deep sympathy for her parents. Now, as she pursues her dream of acting, she’s also partnered with Quaker Oats to spotlight the “invisible workouts” that parents like hers take on each day—from making breakfast at dawn to shuttling kids to sports practices.
“This campaign highlights how hard parents work every day,” Hernandez said. “The invisible workout is something that definitely deserves more recognition. I grew up with my parents rushing out the door and trying to take me to practice…it definitely is a workout.”
With Olympic medals, a ‘Dancing with the Stars’ trophy and a new diploma on the way, Laurie Hernandez proves that every chapter brings fresh dreams—and she’s just getting started.
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