Ryan Lochte - in one ear out the other

What would Ryan Lochte do if he became the brunt of a joke? Ignore it.

Photo: The Canadian Press.

Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte from "What Would Ryan Lochte Do?" attends the E! Network 2013 Upfront at the Manhattan Center on Monday April 22, 2013 in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

The 28-year-old Olympic gold medallist -turned-reality TV star addressed the ups-and-downs of fame at the E! Network Upfront in New York on Monday.

He's experienced both in recent days.

A new reality series "What Would Ryan Lochte Do" premiered Sunday on the E! cable TV channel. It debuted on the heels of an unflattering video that went viral over the weekend where he appeared in an interview via satellite with Fox affiliate WTXF in Philadelphia.

The segment itself, while rather dull and maybe a little awkward, became the most entertaining when it ended. The anchors doubled over with laughter over Lochte's response to some of their questions and wondered out loud how producers would have enough material to put together a TV show about him.

On the E! carpet, Lochte said he takes any naysayers in stride.

"The more known you get in the public eye, the more haters you're gonna have and that's a given," he rationalized. "But, you know what? All the haters, all the name calling goes through one ear (and) out the other and I don't mind it. The way I look at it the more haters I have it means I'm doing something right."

He credits swimming with helping him to block out the noise of negativity.

"With swimming I've been known to cut out everything. The crowd, everything. Just focus on me and my lane and what I need to accomplish so I can do that pretty much in life too."