Imago
February 17, 2026, Milano, Lombardy, Italy: AMBER GLENN of the United States reacts after her performance and is in 13th place in the Women s Figure skating, Eiskunstlauf Short Program during the 2026 Winter Olympics at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Tuesday in Milano. Olympics 2026: Milano Cortina: Figure Skating Women s Short Program PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY – ZUMAj89_ 20260217_oly_j89_076 Copyright: xPaulxKitagakixJr.x
Imago
February 17, 2026, Milano, Lombardy, Italy: AMBER GLENN of the United States reacts after her performance and is in 13th place in the Women s Figure skating, Eiskunstlauf Short Program during the 2026 Winter Olympics at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Tuesday in Milano. Olympics 2026: Milano Cortina: Figure Skating Women s Short Program PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY – ZUMAj89_ 20260217_oly_j89_076 Copyright: xPaulxKitagakixJr.x
The last time Amber Glenn had to remind herself, “I’m a fighter,” was at the Winter Olympics after a series of lacklustre performances. But that surely wasn’t the only battle she faced. Glenn also found herself at the center of controversy following her remarks about the LGBTQ+ community facing “hard times” under President Donald Trump’s policies. She was then met with outlandish backlash, one that scares her to date.
Two months after that incident, Amber Glenn has now revealed the extent of backlash she endured: “No matter who you are, what you do, you’re going to get hate, and that just comes with the territory.”
“I was receiving death threats and people coming after me, my family, people around me, and it was scary. I know that I’m safe, but it’s something that gets into your head, and it was mentally exhausting,” she revealed.
Top Stories
But what exactly happened?
Even though Glenn became the oldest American woman to qualify for the Olympic singles since 1928, her historic achievement was overshadowed simply for speaking out. Having first publicly identified as queer in 2019, she chose to answer a question about the LGBTQ+ community under the current Trump administration. But it backfired.
“It’s been a hard time for the [LGBTQ+] community overall in this administration,” she opined. She even encouraged people to speak up, “I know that a lot of people say you’re just an athlete, like, stick to your job, shut up about politics, but politics affect us all.”
The consequences, however, were so bad that Amber Glenn had to limit her time off social media because, “I’ve never had so many people wish me harm before, just for being me and speaking out about being decent and, like, human rights.”
Not just Glenn, another LGBTQ Olympian, Gus Kenworthy revealed, he’s gotten several messages, “telling me to k— myself, threatening me, wishing they’ll get to see me blow my knee or break my neck during my event, calling me slurs,” for an anti-ICE post he made.
“It is something that you never want to hear. […] No matter how tough you are or how you don’t believe any of it, it’s still hard to hear.”
͢ Amber on the death threats she received after her political comments at the Olympics.
🎥: Yleisradio Oy
pic.twitter.com/FbULbPLQmF— Amber Glenn Updates (@AmberGlennDaily) April 7, 2026
Amber has now revealed that even her family was attacked by the threats. Yet all this while, her sister Brooke had defended her publicly, calling out the online hate. “This isn’t criticism,” Brooke wrote. “This is an attempt to strip away someone’s humanity, all because what she’s saying is different and scary to them.”
And now, looking back on that period, Amber Glenn reflects, “So I just needed to protect myself and my peace for a little bit, just until that settled down. And over time, I’ve kind of tuned it out. And of course, the love outweighs the hate 100 times over. But it is something that you never want to hear those kind of words, no matter how tough you are, or how you don’t believe any of it, it’s still hard to hear.”
But the negativity didn’t just affect her mentally; it also took a toll on her performance during the Games.
Amber Glenn’s “soul-crushing” Olympic setback
Glenn arrived at the Games as one of the U.S. team’s strongest medal hopes in women’s singles figure skating. After all, she was coming from a dominant season and her third straight U.S national title, fans expected her to contend for a podium finish. And she delivered it in the team event by helping Team USA secure gold by finishing third in the women’s free skate segment and contributing crucial points. However, the women’s singles short program proved a different challenge.
Amber Glenn faced a disappointing start as she missed a key element early in her routine. Reflecting afterward, she said, “I tapped down on my spin, which I never do. My core wasn’t stable, and I was a little bit noodle-y.”
Well, entering her triple loop jump …she had to pop it, but completed only two revolutions.
“I have always been known to wear my heart on my sleeve, which is what makes me relatable, but it also makes it hard for me to hide how I feel. And in that moment, it was soul-crushing. Because I did the hard stuff and it was the easiest thing, my favorite jump, that just got away from me,” Amber Glenn said.
Despite being one of only two skaters to land a triple Axel in the short program, her mistake was costly. And because of that, she finished 13th in the short program.
But then, two days later, Amber Glenn bounced back in the free skate. She skated with confidence but earned a fifth-place finish overall in women’s singles. Though it fell short of a medal, a clean short program could have put her in contention.
