What Life Is Really Like For Michael Phelps Now

Michael Phelps was asked at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games what he does for a living. "Nothing anymore," he said. "I used to do a lot in this space, the Olympic space. Now I just have a couple kids and talk about mental health, and I'm a dad." While Phelps does a little more than just hang out with his kids and spark discussions about the importance of mental health, no one would blame him if that's all he did heading into his later years.

For decades of his life, Phelps was a dedicated swimmer, spending hours and hours in and out of the pool to become the best athlete possible. And it worked. Phelps is the most decorated Olympian in history, and he's widely considered the best swimmer of all time. But life has changed a bit for Phelps since his retirement after the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. He is indeed busy being a father and advocating for mental wellness, but he does keep himself occupied in other ways, too. Here's what life is really like for Michael Phelps.

Some people are so athletically gifted it's almost unfair. Michael Phelps isn't just the greatest swimmer of all time — he's also a great golfer. Phelps initially retired from swimming after the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and he took up golf. However, he came out of retirement to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio (which was clearly the right decision given he tacked on another five golds and one silver to his medal count). Phelps' renewed focus on swimming took away from his golf game, but after he retired again, he returned to the course.

These days Phelps golfs a lot, and he caters his exercise regimen to the game. The former professional swimmer swings a golf club 100 times nearly every day, and he played about 80 rounds of golf in 2023. As of this writing, Phelps has a seven handicap (on a scale of zero to 26), and his goal is to lower it. The athlete loves the process of improving his game, and he's as dedicated to being the best golfer he can be as he was to being the best swimmer he could be. "I'm in love with the sport. [My sons] watch me obsess about the sport. I have a golf club sitting next to my desk. I always have things around, to try to get feel," Phelps said to Golf.

Michael Phelps started his family before his Olympic career ended. He married his longtime girlfriend Nicole Phelps (née Johnson) just before the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and Nicole and their oldest son, Boomer Phelps, who was three months old at the time were in attendance for the competition. Since then, Michael and Nicole have welcomed three more boys, Beckett Phelps, Maverick Phelps, and Nico Phelps, the last of whom was born in early 2024 and accompanied his parents to the Paris Olympic Games. Michael earned lots of money as a competitive swimmer, and because of it, he's able to spend lots of time with his kids as they grow up. "Fatherhood has been something that's been special just because growing up kind of without a dad, being able to kind of always be around and see every single step has been a treat," Michael told E! News.

Michael is grateful for his family for many reasons, but notably, he's been able to experience aspects of life with his children that he didn't get when he was growing up. "As a kid, I always wanted to have dinner as a family but with my parents separated, that didn't happen often. I love how we have dinner every night together at the same exact time," Michael told People.

Michael Phelps has been open about his battle with mental health for a long time, and he's still as passionate about it today. The swimmer shared in an interview with Olympics.com that he first experienced depression after the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. "It's basically ... you get to like the edge of a cliff, like 'Cool now what? Oh, I guess I've got to wait four more years to have the chance to do it again,'" he said, adding that he felt it again after the 2008 Games.

Phelps continued to battle depression throughout his swimming career, and as a retired professional athlete, he uses his experience to help others. The athlete regularly touts the benefits of therapy and encourages others to take care of their mental well-being. He even shared his hope for how the public would react to Simone Biles' story after she pulled out of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games due to mental health struggles. "I hope this is an opportunity for us to jump on board, and to even blow this mental health thing even more wide open. It is so much bigger than we can ever imagine," Phelps said, as reported by "TODAY."

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

If there's one thing Michael Phelps knows about, it's swimming. Following his retirement, the athlete has joined broadcasters to provide competitive swimming analysis. His work began at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo — the first Games of the century that didn't feature Phelps as a competitor – and he rejoined the NBC team in 2024 for coverage at the Paris Games. "We are excited to have Michael return to our coverage across both daytime and prime time, and of course, the place where no one knows more about winning — at the pool," NBC executive Molly Solomon said of Phelps in a statement, as reported by The Athletic.

Throughout his work at the Paris Games, Phelps proved that while he certainly wants Team USA to bring home gold, above all, he has a love and appreciation for the sport of swimming. He clearly admires any talented swimmer, even one who's breaking his records. "He literally is the best underwater swimmer in the world, and he used his weapon that last 50 [meters] to pass the defending world champion and Olympic champion," Phelps said in an Olympic broadcast in admiration of Leon Marchand, the French swimmer who trains under Phelps' former coach and broke the last of Phelps' individual world records.

Michael Phelps is an inspirational man. Few people have achieved as much as he has — he has more Olympic medals than anyone in the history of the Games — and he's overcome many obstacles, such as depression, ADHD, and growing up without a present father. Through his success, Phelps has gained ample wisdom, and in his retirement from professional swimming he works as a motivational speaker. His fee is hefty — it begins at $100,00 for a virtual event and $200,000 for a live event — but plenty of places have shelled it out to get a piece of Phelps' inspiration.

In 2022, for example, Phelps spoke to students and other adults about the importance of mental health at California State University, Fullerton for the college's "Beyond the Conversation" series. "I didn't have much self-love probably through most of my career. I looked at myself as an athlete and not a human being," the Olympian said at the event, as reported by CSUF News. "I've gone through some roller coasters and some ups and downs, and maybe learned things a little later in life. But I feel like for me: I'm OK being not OK. I'm OK being who I am."

Michael Phelps knows what it takes to achieve greatness, and he's using his expertise to help others reach their goals. A notable and surprising bit of the swimmer's mentorship history began ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. After being suspended for over a year from competitive swimming due to lying about being robbed at gunpoint while in Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympic Games, Ryan Lochte, an Olympic gold medalist and one of Phelps' former competitors, asked Phelps for advice. Post-scandal, Lochte hoped to make a comeback. "My confidence was really low. And then I started to talking to Michael Phelps ... He's like, 'You've just done so much work that your body is beat up. So when you taper, you're going to light it up,'" Lochte told USA Today of the advice he received from Phelps.

Phelps knows the importance of mentorship himself, and he's worked with one of the best, Greg Harden. Harden is a life coach and motivational speaker who's helped athletes like Tom Brady and Desmond Howard achieve greatness. In 2023, he published a book detailing his work. The life coach has nothing but praise for Phelps, especially since ending his swimming career. "I'm most proud of Michael for what he's done since retiring, becoming a true leader in mental health advocacy, being totally open about his own battles, and encouraging everyone to take advantage of the mental health resources that are available," Harden said in Fortune.

Greatness recognizes greatness. Michael Phelps is an Olympian through and through. He spent five Olympics as a competitor, has appeared at two as an analyst, and has now been to one as a spectator (he probably would have attended events at the Tokyo Olympic Games, but spectators were not allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Although Phelps was in Paris in 2024 to provide swimming commentary, he found some time to watch other athletes make history, too. Phelps was one of several great athletes and celebrities in the crowd for the women's artistic gymnastics team final, where he was able to see Simone Biles and company win the gold medal. A golf lover, Phelps also got to the green for some of the Olympic golf action. (And no, Phelps was not one of the worst-dressed stars at the Paris Olympics.)

When Phelps is at the Olympics, he makes no bones about who he's cheering for. While he does support great swimmers, he wants to see Team USA succeed. The former Olympian encouraged others to cheer on Team USA golfers, and ahead of the games, he suggested that competitors use negativity from other teams to fuel their competitive spirit and come out on top of other countries.

Michael Phelps still has major name recognition and influence, and he uses both to make a difference in the lives of others. He started the Michael Phelps Foundation, a charitable organization that aims to keep kids safe and healthy, with specific goals concerning water safety and mental health that are achieved through various programs. For example, Michael has long worked with the Special Olympics, and through his foundation's IM Program, he partners with the organization to train swimmers and become more comfortable in the water. "I want to change a life, and if I can save a life, for me, that's way better than ever winning an Olympic gold medal," Michael said in an interview with the Special Olympics of his foundation.

One of the main goals of the IM Program is to teach kids to swim to prevent childhood drowning. Drowning is a leading cause of death in children under age 14, and Michael wants to ensure that as many children as possible are safe while swimming, an initiative that became even more important when he became a father. Michael's wife, Nicole Phelps, is heavily involved in the foundation, too, and one of her goals is to see their work spread throughout the United States and into even more countries.

Just because Michael Phelps doesn't swim competitively anymore doesn't mean he can't be found in a pool. The athlete still takes a dive on occasion to keep his mind healthy, and he swims with his children, whom he says love the water. Phelps has also gone swimming with another famous Olympic fan — Snoop Dogg. During the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Snoop got a private swimming lesson from Phelps. "You see, me and MP? We go back like the backstroke," Snoop said in the NBC clip before asking Phelps what makes a good swimmer. "You just described me! Wingspan, lung power — I definitely have great lung power — and I do have a swimmer's body. We could be twins," Snoop said to Phelps.

While Phelps doesn't have any intention of returning to his old career, the Olympian did tell "TODAY" in 2021 that if his children asked him why he no longer swims competitively, he would consider making a comeback. "Anything for my kids," Phelps said, though with plenty of clarification that he's content with retirement. The swimmer certainly doesn't need to compete again — his legacy has already been cemented. In 2023, Phelps was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Becoming the greatest swimmer of all time was no easy feat. Although Michael Phelps certainly had natural physical attributes that made him a force in the pool, he also worked incredibly hard to become so dominant in his sport, and that included keeping a strict diet and exercise routine. While Phelps was competing, he became notorious for his training regimen, which included a 13-kilometer swim almost every day and 8,000 to 10,000 in calories consumed, nearly four times what the average male eats in a day.

These days Phelps is still as dedicated to his physical health as ever, but things have changed. Most notably, instead of training to be an elite swimmer, Phelps is focused on becoming a better golfer. "My biggest thing is that I'm trying to get a lot of mobility back, so I'm trying to build muscles, actually for golf. Golf has been a hobby of mine for a little bit, so I want to really open up my hips and be able to get some more flexibility and a little bit more turn," Phelps said to Muscle & Fitness. The Olympian still works out with Keenan Robinson, the same trainer he worked with as a competitive swimmer, but he's changed his routines. Phelps has also changed his diet a bit, consuming more plant-based foods and giving himself more freedom to have treats. Despite all the changes, Phelps is still in great shape.

So many great athletes have competed this century that it's nearly impossible to choose who's been the best. But in 2024, ESPN did its best to crown a champion, and the sports media company put Michael Phelps at the top of its list for the 100 best professional athletes since 2000. Phelps was applauded for his record-breaking performances and 23 Olympic gold medals throughout his career and noted that his work ethic set him apart from his competition. The top five athletes Phelps beat out for the honor were Serena Williams, Lionel Messi, LeBron James, and Tom Brady. "To be voted number one, I was speechless. This is awesome," Phelps said to ESPN after learning the results.

Phelps remained humble while he was swimming, but now on the other side of it, he's unafraid to acknowledge just how incredible of an athlete he was. "As [DJ] Khaled said, 'All I do is win.' That's what I did, baby. All I did was win," Phelps said on an episode of "The Pat McAfee Show." "Now I can say it. I never said it during my career, but I'll say it now. Yes, I did. I worked my ass off, and yeah, I won, whatever. What about it?"