The Olympic star is an unstoppable cultural juggernaut.

My cooking show is the most fun I’ve ever had. It’s truly a labor of love.

[My cult status] is pretty funny. When “South Park” first came out, I was scared to death to hear they were parodying me. When I saw it I was, like, “OK, cool. They like me.” You don’t want to get those guys on your bad side.

Whenever I do a TV interview, they always play the song [“What Would Brian Boitano Do?”]. I’ll go on press junkets and hear that song all day long.

Skating was really a calling. I used to roller skate on the driveway. I loved the speed and the freedom and the abandon.

I think [the perception that figure skating’s not a “real sport”] annoys me more now; I wasn’t even aware of it then. I’m a really, really athletic guy. I got my dad’s body—he’s built for athletics—so I could pick any sport I wanted. It astounds me how hard figure skating is.

To do a program with a bunch of triple jumps at four-and-a-half minutes long, it can kill you. It kicks your butt.

I definitely always considered myself an athlete first. I enjoyed the artistic side [of skating], but for me it was all about how perfect my triple jumps and my technical side could be.

The combination of having endurance and quick-twitch muscles … We’ve tried to find cross-training methods to replicate [the ice skating workout], but nothing does.

When I trained with the guy who trains the Ultimate Fighters, I learned an explosive warm-up program and a cross-training program. I do that warm-up every day now.

The Ultimate Fighter guys are like pussycats out of the ring. They’re the most soft-spoken, gentle, peaceful guys. And then they’re like vicious killers in the ring.

I skate about two hours a day. It keeps you in the best shape. It’s also good for the mind. It gets you in the zone when the music comes on.

The “South Park” guys asked me to write a foreword for their book a few months ago. The back of the book has a quote from me: “If you don’t read this book and read it quick, I’m gonna kick your ass.”