Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan: Where Are They Now?

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Donald Kravitz/Getty; Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

It was the cry heard ’round the world.

At theU.S. Figure SkatingChampionships on Jan. 6, 1994 — marking its 30th anniversary in 2024 — champion American skaterNancy Kerriganwasbrutally clubbedin the knee just one month before the Winter Olympics, leaving her unable to compete.

It was later revealed that the ex-husband (Jeff Gillooly) and bodyguard (Shawn Eckardt) of fellow American skaterTonya Hardingworked together to hire someone (Shane Stant) to attack rival skater Kerrigan. Though Harding long disputed her involvement, she was eventually convicted of hindering the investigation into the incident. She received three years probation, 500 hours of community service and a $160,000 fine — and was ultimately banned from the U.S. Figure Skating Association for life.

Though it’s been three decades, the ordeal has lived on in pop culture infamy, including being resurfacedin a 2017 biopicstarringMargot Robbieas the embattled Harding.

I, Tonya, 2017.TIFF

So, where are Harding and Kerrigan these days?

Nancy Kerrigan

Andreas Altwein/AP

She was later inducted into the Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2004, and has even served as a special correspondent during several Olympics.

Eric McCandless/ABC Via Getty

“It’s fun to do something new, have a new challenge. I thought it would be really exciting,”Kerrigan told ABCin 2017 of wanting to join the show.

RELATED VIDEO: Figure Skating Star Nancy Kerrigan Opens Up About Her 6 Miscarriages

And although she enjoyed the experience, Kerrigan, now 54 — who has also opened up about her six miscarriages — told PEOPLE in 2017 that her number one focus will always be her family: “My job is being with my kids after school and asking them how their day was.”

In Dec. 2023, Kerriganreleased her first children’s book “Stronger Than She Thinks.“The book follows an 8-year-old aspiring skater named Nancy as she puts in the work and dedication to master her first jump – the Axel.

Tonya Harding

AP Photo/Jack Smith

Harding came from blue-collar roots, raised in rural Oregon, and was only a 21-year-old rising star going into the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Although Harding continually denied her involvement in the scandal, she admittedin a 2008 PEOPLE profile, “Of course I feel guilty for what happened.”

“But I can’t dwell,” she added. “I have to go on living.”

Life post-scandal proved difficult for Harding, now 53. According to the 2008 profile, Harding was arrested twice — once for a DUI — and once attempted suicide. She alsoreleased a sex tape with Gillooly, and appeared on Fox’sCelebrity Boxingin 2002, competing againstPaula Jones, the former Arkansas state employee who sued formerPresident Bill Clintonfor sexual harassment.

“The mediahad me convicted of doing something wrongbefore I had even done anything at all,” shetold ABCin 2018 duringTruth and Lies: The Tonya Harding Story. “I am always the bad person. Is it a challenge from the Lord to see how far I can be pushed until I break and become nothing? You can’t push me that far anymore, because I have been nothing and I have been nothing several times.”

Her relationship with Kerrigan, however, never mended.

Jen Lowery/Splash

Kerrigan told ABC in 2017 that she saw Harding at an event in 1998, but they didn’t speak to each other. She also noted that she never received a “direct” apology from Harding.

But, Kerrigan asked, “Does it matter at this point?”

Still, the women have their similarities. Much like Kerrigan, Hardingcompeted in the athletes’ edition ofDWTSin 2018, partnered with professionalSasha Farber— where she came in third place,losing out to Adam Rippon. The following year,she won season 16 ofWorst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition, earning $25,000 for the charity of her choice, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Harding said she gained many new fans after her return to the spotlight but remains a busy working mom.

“My family and I are doing good,” she told PEOPLE in Jan. 2024. “For the past year I have been working as a custodian for two businesses that are part of one corporation.”

Harding has also returned to skating and reunited with Dody Teachman – the coach that led her to the 1991 U.S. Figure Skating title – and post clips of herselfspinning and jumping on Instagram.

As for the 1994 incident, she says, “I’m surprised that anyone is still interested in the incident from 30 years ago, especially considering there are so many problems in our country which concern us all, and I was only charged with hindering prosecution for not coming forward soon enough.”

Instead, she is focused on the present, reminding others to “always keep the Faith and believe in yourself.”

source: people.com