Entertainment

Does Michael Phelps Have Snapchat?

by Michelle McGahan

Ready for Rio? As the 2016 Summer Olympics draw nearer and nearer (August 5, 2016 GET READY), Michael Phelps will once again take center stage in our minds as he competes in what may very well be his final Olympic Games ever. Truth be told, Phelps has a ton on his plate apart from his athletic career — he is engaged to longtime girlfriend Nicole Johnson and is expecting a baby boy, due early this summer. With all of that going on in his life, fans are eager to get all of the updates on Phelps' personal life and athletic career on every form of social media imaginable. So, does Michael Phelps have Snapchat?

While the most decorated Olympian of all time certainly runs the gamut of social media — he has Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram — it does not look like Phelps has Snapchat — or at least not a public one. In fact, the only evidence that Phelps has a private Snapchat is based on this screenshot posted by the swimmer's alleged ex-girlfriend Taylor Lianne Chandler.

If Phelps does, in fact, have a private Snapchat, it's clearly not one that he is promoting with the rest of his social media. (His Facebook does say he has something called Weibo, though.)

The social media that Phelps does have, however, still gives us insight into the kinds of things he'd post on Snapchat if he had a public one: Some kind of chambray, cowboy-themed baby shower with the guys? Check. Tons of shirtless photos with his teammates? Check (and yum).

While these are awesome to see on Instagram (and indeed they are), it would be even better to get some more intimate, selfie-style vids and pics like we could get on Snapchat. A quick vid at the baby shower to show the fans? Behind-the-scenes locker room footage from practice (JK, but can you imagine)? What's so great about Snapchat is that it feels like the pics and vids are being sent directly to you — and for such a public figure like Michael Phelps, it definitely creates a cool sense of intimacy in that fan-hero relationship.

Since Snapchat will undoubtedly rule the Olympics this year — how cool will it be to see up-to-second, behind-the-scenes Snaps from our fave Olympians? — maybe we just have to wait a little bit longer to see some Michael Phelps rainbow puke selfies. I'm personally hoping for some face-swap action from him and Ryan Lochte. Hey, a girl can dream.