Where Is Olympic Gymnast Laurie Hernandez Today? She Was Part of the Iconic "Final Five"
"We moved to New York and then got into the arts."
Published July 29 2024, 6:27 p.m. ET
During the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio, gymnast Laurie Hernandez made waves along with Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Madison Kocian, and Aly Raisman as part of the "Final Five." They nabbed the gold medal in the team event, and would become the most decorated American Olympics team in history — bringing home a total of nine medals.
Laurie, who was the first Latina gymnast to make the U.S. Olympic team since 1984, took home the silver medal on the balance beam at Rio.
But what happened to Laurie after the 2016 Olympic games? Did she retire? Here's what to know.
The "Final Five" — aka Simone Biles, Gabrielle Douglas, Lauren Hernandez, Madison Kocian, and Alexandra Raisman — celebrate with their gold medals on the podium during the women's team final Artistic Gymnastics at the Olympic Arena during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 9, 2016
Where is Laurie Hernandez now?
In 2023, Laurie enrolled as a student at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she's studying drama as well as creative writing. She also landed a great gig as a sports analyst for NBC, doing daytime coverage for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. And she has continued her work as an ambassador for UNICEF, which she began supporting in 2018.
Oh, and just in case that wasn't enough, she has also stepped into the acting world, having lent her voice-over talents to The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder in 2023 and Middle School Moguls in 2019. She also appeared on the TV series Stuck in the Middle in 2017. And she's worked behind the scenes as well, serving as an executive producer on 2023's Unconditional, a documentary focusing on mental health.
Why did Laurie Hernandez retire from gynmastics?
Laurie took a hiatus after Rio, then returned to training in 2018. She competed at the 2021 Winter Cup and the 2021 U.S. Classic. But she had to withdraw from the 2021 U.S. Championships after she hyperextended her knee during warm-ups, resulting in a torn meniscus, a cyst, and other issues. She wasn't added to the national team and didn't qualify for the Olympics, and she ultimately retired from competition in 2021.
From the sound of it, Laurie seemed to want to explore other interests in her life outside of sports. She became more in tune with her mental health, and she began therapy to help with her depression. She also spoke out in 2020 about the psychological abuse she faced under former coach Maggie Haney.
Laurie Hernandez and partner Charlotte Drury in 2022
In 2024, Laurie talked Us Weekly about her and her partner, trampoline gymnast Charlotte Drury, and how they've both been exploring new career paths.
"Both of us kind of eased out of sports .... We moved to New York and then got into the arts," Laurie recalled. She said it was "just nice for us to have the chance to explore what else outside of sports we might be into, and testing out all these different waters."
But might Laurie return to the sport after all? In July 2024, Laurie posted a video of herself doing a cast to handstand on a bar, adding the caption: "Should I come out of retirement???🤪🤪🤪"
Alas, she answered her own question in the comments section, writing: "Nah I love not having morning workouts anymore I’m good."
