Simone Biles Revealed How Much the Internet's Reaction Affected Her After Husband's Viral Interview
At the end of 2023, many sports fans learned who Simone Biles’ husband is. Some people didn’t know she was married, others didn’t know his name, but Jonathan Owens’ interview with The Pivot podcast caught a lot of heat because it seemed like he downplayed her GOAT accomplishments in the sport of gymnastics. Now, the 27-year-old Olympian is revealing just how much the internet’s reaction to the interview affected her.
On the Call Her Daddy podcast this week, Biles admitted that she “didn’t think anything of that interview” at first. She told host Alex Cooper, “I was in the room. I was sitting on the chair. You just couldn’t see me on the videos. I was there for the whole entire video. I was feeling great. I was like, ‘My man just killed that.’” While the former Green Bay Packers player was busy calling himself “the catch” in the relationship, the internet was busy screaming into their laptops about Biles’ record-breaking career. It’s natural to want to protect the gymnastics superstar in this situation, especially when women’s sports aren’t always given the same attention as men’s athletics, but the fallout was huge for Biles.
At first, she believed “everything was OK” until she scrolled through social media. “Then, I go on Twitter and everybody’s like, ‘Divorce this man, he’s mean,'” she noted. She thought the reactions and memes were “hilarious” until the backlash didn’t stop. The commentary about her marriage began to “really hurt” and Biles eventually “broke down” from the onslaught. “I’m like, ‘Why are you guys talking about my husband like this?’ You don’t know him. You don’t know who he is,” she said protectively. “If anybody’s met him, they know he’s the sweetest guy and will do anything for anybody. Talk about me all you want, but don’t come for my family.”
Biles hyped up her man and reminded fans that they were both in the spotlight and “that interview had nothing to do with me.” She added, “It was all for him. So, I think they were mad that he didn’t include me in the interview, but he has to have his moments too. And I let him have it. Whenever I go to football games, sometimes I get field passes, but I’m not like, ‘Hey, look at me, Simone Biles is here.'” The controversy was probably also fueled by the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce relationship frenzy because he was always hyping the Eras Tour singer — and Biles’ fans wanted the same for her.
The internet fiasco hasn’t affected Biles’ marriage to Owens, though. She complimented him for being “a catch” and she’s supporting his move to his new NFL team, the Chicago Bears. And yes, he will be cheering her on as she tries to make her third Olympic team for the Summer Games in Paris. Just because Biles is a tough athlete, she is also human — and those cutting internet comments were brutal.
Before you go, click here to see 15 times Simone Biles defied gravity.