How Barack Obama Once Seriously Angered Tonya Harding

Tonya Harding (Tonya Price since her 2010 marriage) rose to infamy in the ’90s due to an infamous incident involving Nancy Kerrigan’s knees. Her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, and bodyguard, Shawn Eckardt, hired a man to attack the competing skater with the goal of breaking her leg. It didn’t quite work — Kerrigan left bruised, and she went on to win the silver medal at the 1994 Olympics. Harding came in eighth. While the defamed skater pleaded guilty to ​​conspiracy to hinder prosecution and was removed from the U.S. Figure Skating Association, she maintained that her ex planned the attack without her knowledge. The scandal has followed the talented skater (who was the second woman ever to land a triple axel in competition) for decades. She became a popular pop culture punchline — even Barack Obama couldn’t resist.

At first, Tonya Harding was less than enthused about getting a presidential shout-out. “He has this country to think about … and he has to bring me up?” she said on HBO’s “Real Sports,” per The Oregonian. “Guess what?” she added. “I get jobs because he used my name on national television.” In her own words, “all publicity is good publicity.” 

Since the 1994 incident, Harding has appeared on “Dancing with the Stars.” She also had a short-lived boxing career and even became the subject of an award-winning biographical film. “Obviously [Barack Obama] didn’t have enough people looking at him,” she quipped on “Real Sports” (via The Guardian).