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Longtime sports announcer Mike Tirico has shared details on his absence from the 151st Kentucky Derby over the weekend. Tirico said he had an allergic reaction, which prevented him from participating in the broadcast.
Appearing on The TODAY Show on the Monday following the Kentucky Derby, which was won by the horse Sovereignty, the 58-year-old sports broadcasting stalwart revealed that he accidentally ate something with a nut in it, which he’s allergic to.
Luckily for Tirico, his nut allergy doesn’t appear to be too devastating in the long term, as he largely sounded like his regular self during the interview. He did, however, confirm that he had to take an EpiPen shot and was looked at by EMTs.
“I ate something that had a nut in it and had a nut allergy, causing your throat and your nose all that stuff to kind of clog up and swell,” Tirico explained to Carson Daly, Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin on the Monday, May 5 episode of The Today Show.
“It affects your breathing a little bit, so (I) wasn’t feeling well, couldn’t go on with the show, took an EpiPen shot, got treated by EMTs, felt better about 8, 9 o’clock came along, but it takes a long while to get out of your system.”
“I feel fine. I have my coffee, watching the (TODAY) show like I do every morning,” he added.
“I ate something that had a nut in it and had a nut allergy, causing your throat and your nose all that stuff to kind of clog up and swell. It affects your breathing a little bit, so, wasn’t feeling well, couldn’t go on with the show” – Mike Tirico on ‘Today’ pic.twitter.com/YlLrWRAiNH
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 5, 2025
“We want to tell you that (Mike) does have a nut allergy. He had a reaction earlier today,” NBC Sports’ Ahmed Fareed, who took over for Tirico, explained during the broadcast. “Mike, I know you are listening right now. I hope you are feeling better and get back to yourself very soon.”
Sovereignty, ridden by Junior Alvarado, won the 151st Kentucky Derby on Saturday, beating betting-favorite Journalism by posting a 2 minute and 2 seconds race time. Bill Mott, Sovereignty’s trainer, previously won the Kentucky Derby in 2019, albeit via a disqualification. The winner of the Kentucky Derby took home a $3.1 million prize this year.