Johnny Weir Hosting Peacock's Broadcast of 'Eurovision 2022'

Eurovision week arrives once a year in the second week of May, come hell or high water, and in some cases, war. The music competition, which is supposed to represent a peaceful Europe where the only nationalist conflict is who sang best, is being held for the first time while an actual land war between two of its members is ongoing. Despite claiming an apolitical nature, the event has taken on a more prominent role in the public imagination since Ukraine's entry will be viewed through a lens of what its people are enduring.

Despite its Eurocentric nature, the competition has aired in the U.S. since 2015, first on Viacom's little-watched Logo cable channel, reflecting its history as a staple of LGBTQ+ culture since its debut in the 1950s. Netflix hinted at picking the competition up in 2020, going as far as making a Eurovision Song Contest film (Downton Abbey alum Dan Stevens is in it), the release of which should have coincided with that year's broadcast. Unfortunately, the pandemic caused the competition to be canceled for the first time in its 60+ year history. When it returned in 2021, Eurovision did indeed move to streaming, but to NBC Universal's Peacock, which will broadcast the 2022 competition again this year.

Those who have VPN'd the competition back in the era before it broadcast are probably used to the main feed, where the only hosts are the ones on stage from the country holding that year's competition. But those who watch via the BBC feed, France Télévisions, or RAI in Italy know that each national broadcast provides its hosts, who usually talk over the main feed's hosts and contextualize the different entries for those at home. Graham Norton, for example, does the Grand Final on BBC One, while the semis have revolving hosts on BBC Three. For Americans, this year's host will be fan-favorite NBC commentator and all-around fabulous former ice skater Johnny Weir.