Olympian Alex Shibutani Addresses Video of Expletive Rant to Sister Maia

Olympic ice dancer Alex Shibutani is addressing his recent berating comments toward his sister and professional partner, Maia Shibutani.

“I feel terrible about it,” Alex, 34, told the Associated Press at the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix NHK Trophy competition on Friday, November 7. “Unfortunately, I lost my temper in training and it shouldn’t have happened.”

Leaked footage from Alex and Maia’s skating rehearsal went viral online last month, where Alex was heard ranting and yelling expletives at his 31-year-old sister.

“I apologized to Maia right after our practice,” he told the AP. “The intensity of what we are trying to do and the standards that we have, the two of us, we both understand [my outburst] but it was wrong and I am committed to being a better teammate.”

He continued, “I’m so lucky to skate with Maia. We have a very unique, special relationship, and we are committed to each other and to this process.”

Maia has also responded to the now-controversial video.

“When you are working toward being your best there are going to be intense moments,” she told the AP. “For us, we understand each other and the process and we work through it together like siblings do. We continued practicing that day and we choose each other every time.”

Alex and Maia competed at the Olympic Games in 2014 and 2018, respectively. They recently took a seven-year hiatus from competitive skating, now hoping to make the U.S. team for the 2026 winter games.

“Our Olympic journey has been filled with so many special moments both on and off the ice, but the ones that endure are the ones we share with others,” the skating siblings wrote in a joint Instagram post shared in June. “The greatest legacy we can leave is one of impact.”

They added, “We love connecting with people around the world, sharing our knowledge, opening doors, and creating opportunities. We want sport to be accessible to people of all backgrounds and reflective of the diverse world we live in. Thank you to all of our friends and partners around the world who have worked alongside us over the years – we’re just getting started.”

Alex and Maia added that they see “so many exciting possibilities” as their 2025-2025 competitive season kicks off.

“The future is bright!” the duo concluded.

The Shibutanis ultimately finished in sixth place during the competition on Saturday, November 8.

“We’re disappointed with the scores, for sure,” Alex told reporters, per ESPN. “We’ve been in this sport for a long time, so we’ll have to look at the protocols, but we know what we did and what we came here to do. … We’ve competed at two Olympics before [and] we know what it takes to compete at the highest level, and we are fortunate to have done so. When we ventured out on this journey, there were goals, but the goals and the instincts to return were less about the results, placement or any particular competition.”

Maia, for her part, agreed that making the Olympic roster wasn’t the main motivator in returning to the sport.