“Mama Phelps,” Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush began asking the great swimmer’s mother, in an interview following Phelps’ 2nd gold medal win on Monday. “OK, Michael is two for two in the hunt for 8 gold medals — His two most difficult races are behind him, so now the likelihood of him pulling off this incredible feat is actually greater. How are your maternal emotions?”
“There’s not one word that can express right now, Billy, how I feel,” she replied.
Team U.S.A.‘s incomprehensible come from behind in the 4×100 freestyle relay won Phelps his second gold — and silenced the trash-talking French, who guaranteed victory over America.
NBC very wisely mic’d up Mama (real first name: Debbie) Phelps in the stands.
“I hope you plan on continuing to do it, because it adds great emotion to the broadcast,” Billy told Mama Phelps.
“Oh really,” she asked.
“Will you continue,” Billy asked.
“Absolutely, whatever the media wants.”
“By the pool today, in the relay after he was going crazy when he flexed when they won. I mean, it was just wild,” Billy pointed out.
“It is,” she acknowledged. “And that’s a side I’ve never, you know, I don’t see, unless he’s competing. He doesn’t go around going, ‘Grrrrrrrr,’ all the time like that, you know?”
Debbie Phelps says that right now, Michael is the happiest she’s ever seen him.
“Lets go back 23 years ago when you give birth to Michael Phelps,” Billy suggested. ”The doctor brings the baby over and hands you the child. You look at Michael. Do you say, ‘Wow, what an enormous torso this guy has? “
At 6’4”, Phelps has the torso of a man that stands 6’8”, and the legs of a man who stands only 6’ tall. He’s a human fish.
“How often do you speak to Michael? Did you talk every day? Or do you stay out of his hair,” Billy asked.
“This is his office,” Mama Phelps said, displaying the city around her – as in, the OLYMPICS, is his office.
“He likes to know where we are,” she continues. “’Cause I understand last night he couldn’t find me at first. And he doesn’t like that.”
“Whenever he retires, which he said (will be) before 30 — I hate to see it all end,” Mama Phelps said.
“Look at Dara Torres,” Billy reminded her.
“I know. Before 30, forget about it. He needs to go to 41; he can do it. That would be OK.”
And Michael’s other mom, swimmer Dara Torres, won silver in her medley relay on Monday. She’ll go for gold in the 50 Freestyle at the end of the week.
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