His ride or die.
Simone Biles continued to defend her husband, Jonathan Owens, after he said he was the “catch” in their relationship.
During the second part of “Simone Biles Rising” released on Friday, the star gymnast addressed the backlash Owens faced after his interview on “The Pivot” last year, saying his comments were “taken out of context.”
“Social media gives [followers] this false sense of reality that they really know who you are and how you function,” Biles noted.
“Most of the time they don’t understand the mental toll that it takes, especially going into an Olympic year.”
The 11-time Olympic medalist, 27, continued, “I know we signed up to be judged in the gym but when you guys are going to talk about him or my family, yeah I’m gonna come at you guys.”
She also slammed the people who “equate our love to the amount of trophies and medals and accolades that I have,” saying “that’s not how you measure love.”
“Most of the time, I bite my tongue but now, yeah, I have a voice, I’ve always had a voice,” Biles said.
“Just because you didn’t think I wouldn’t see it doesn’t mean I’m not obligated to respond … it’s crazy.”
In December 2023, the Chicago Bears safety said he was the “catch” in his relationship with Biles, who is the most decorated Olympic gymnast ever.
At the time, he also admitted he had no idea who she was when they matched on the dating app Raya in 2020, but that her career choice “piqued” his curiosity.
Despite a barrage of criticism on social media, Owens stood his ground in another interview, saying there’s no point in silencing the trolls.
“I have all my social media notifications off, so I didn’t even know for a while,” Owens told Us Weekly in June 2024.
“I was actually with my mom and Simone whenever it came out, so, all the comments and everything, I just let them read it. I try to stay off of it, and obviously if you feel like stuff is kind of getting out of hand, that’s when you reach in and say something.”
“I don’t mean to cuss, but like, damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” he further told the outlet. “If you say something, they’re going to say something; if you don’t say something, they’re going to say something.”
“So, just live your life. People are going to talk about you anyway, so you might as well do it the way you want to,” he added.
As for Biles, this isn’t the first time she’s had to defend his comments. In April 2024, she admitted that the backlash “really hurt” her feelings.
“He said he was a catch,” she exclaimed in a “Call Her Daddy” episode. “Because he is! I’ve never met a man like him.”
“I thought everything was OK, and then I go on Twitter and everybody’s like, ‘Divorce this man. He’s mean!’” Biles recalled.
“I’m like, ‘He’s the sweetest. He praises the ground that I walk on.’ Truly, I’ve never met a man like him … he truly goes out of his way to do anything for me.”
And although she found the situation “hilarious” at first, it definitely “hurt” her feelings.
“One night I broke down and 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 and if anybody’s met him, you know he’s the sweetest guy, will do anything for anybody,’” she told host Alex Cooper.
She continued, “That really hurt that they were talking about my husband like that. For me, it’s like, talk about me all you want, but don’t come for my family, never.”
In May 2024, she also kindly told followers to “f–k off” because they were being “disrespectful” to their marriage.
The Olympic gymnast explained that if people “keep commenting or tweeting at me,” she’s “just going to block you. simple as that.”
Biles went on to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics where Owens supported her from the front row.
The couple started dating in 2020 and tied the knot three years later.
English (US) ·