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US Olympic medalist Alex Shibutani issued an apology after footage emerged of him berating his younger sister and ice dancing partner Maia.
“I feel terrible about it,” Alex told reporters on Friday. “Unfortunately I lost my temper during training and it shouldn’t have happened. I apologized to Maia right after our training.”
In the video, which was leaked on social media last month, Alex can be heard hurling insults at his younger sister.
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Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani of the United States perform in the Ice Dance – Free Dance on Day 2 of the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix NHK Trophy 2025 at the Towa Pharmaceutical Ractab Dome on November 8, 2025 in Osaka, Japan. (Tang Xinyu/VCG via Getty Images)
“The intensity of what we’re trying to do and the standards we have, the two of us, we both understand (the outburst), but it was wrong and I’m committed to being a better teammate,” he said. “I’m so lucky to skate with Maia. We have a very unique, special relationship, and we’re committed to each other and to this process.”
Maia expressed “understanding” of her brother’s behavior.
“When you’re working to be your best, there’s going to be intense moments, but for us, we understand each other and the process and we work through it together, just like siblings do,” she said. “We continued to practice that day and we choose each other every time.”
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The duo finished sixth at the NHK Trophy in Osaka on Saturday.
They compete again at the Finlandia Trophy in two weeks with the US Nationals in January.
Alex, 34, and Maia, 31, have skated together for most of their lives and were longtime dominant American ice dancers, winning bronze at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. They are three-time world championship medalists and two-time Olympians, finishing ninth at the 2014 Sochi Olympics before finishing third in 2018.
After Pyeongchang, they stepped away from the sport to focus on school and other interests.
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Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani of the United States compete in the Ice Dance Free Dance during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating – NHK Trophy at the Towa Pharmaceutical RACTAB Dome on November 8, 2025 in Osaka, Japan. (Toru Hanai – International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images)
They extended their competitive hiatus when Maia was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on her kidney in 2019. She underwent surgery to remove the mass and further treatment resulted in a successful but long and painful recovery.
Now they are attempting a comeback after a seven-year hiatus in hopes of making the American team for next year’s Milan-Cortina Games.
