Olympic champion Simone Biles is going all out in her husband’s defense. Recently, the renowned gymnast has yet again pushed back on criticism aimed at her husband, Jonathan Owens. Biles has also vowed not to back down in staving off backlash, which Owens’ comments sparked since 2023.
“Social media gives [followers] this false sense of reality that they really know who you are and how you function,” she stated. Biles made the comments in the new episodes of the Netflix documentary “Simone Biles Rising Part II.” Trouble started for Owens after he described himself as the “catch” in a 2023 interview.
On December 19, 2023, while appearing on The Pivot podcast, the 28-year-old said, “I always say the men are the catch.” He was responding to a question from one of the three podcast co-hosts regarding whether he considered himself the bigger prize in the relationship.
Along the line in the interview, Owens told co-hosts Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor that he never knew who Biles was when they met. His statement angered Biles’ fans, who didn’t waste time giving him a piece of their mind.
However, Simone Biles has fired back at the negative comments. “Most of the time, they don’t understand the mental toll that it takes, especially going into an Olympic year,” she stated. “Most of the time, I bite my tongue, but now, yeah, I have a voice; I’ve always had a voice,” she added.
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What Did Simone Biles Fans Say?
One comment made under an X post of the interview clip stated, “This mediocre athlete, whose name most people don’t know and don’t care to know, is trying to diminish the accomplishments of a stellar A+ gymnast, Simone Biles. We know she has the money in the relationship. Sounds to me like she’s going to be available soon.”
“This is cringe and embarrassing, to be honest. He shouldn’t have disclosed all that,” another comment read. Another user replied, “He wants to humble her.” A separate user asked, “Who is he again?” The hostile comments have continued to pour in since then, even after Biles intervened. But now, the 17-time Olympic medallist finally decided she has had enough.
Owens himself has defended his comments after the backlash became intense. “I don’t mean to cuss, but like, damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” he said in a July 8 interview.
“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.”
“I have all my social media notifications off, so I didn’t even know for a while,” he told reporters. “I was actually with my mom and Simone whenever it came out, so, all the comments and everything, I just let them read it,” he added.
What We Know About Simone Biles Husband?
Simone Biles’ husband, Jonathan Owens, is an NFL player with the Chicago Bears. After playing for the Houston Texans and later for the Green Bay Packers for a season, he signed a free-agent contract with the Bears. His contract will last for two years. Biles has been supportive of her husband and has shown up for many of his games.
Owens grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, where he attended the Christian Brothers College High School. He played football at the school and continued afterward. He was an important player in his team at the Missouri Western State University, eventually clinching the Male Student-Athlete of the Year in his last season.
How Did Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens Meet?
According to Owens, he met Biles on a dating app. Speaking further during the controversial interview, he stated that they met in 2020 on the dating app Raya. “I just hadn’t heard of her, and when I told her that, that’s one of the things she liked.”
When Biles spoke to the Wall Street Journal Magazine in 2021, she also discussed their dating app meeting. “He would say I slid into his DMs. I saw him, and I was like, ‘Oh, he’s pretty cute,’ so I said hi.” Afterward, they found out they were in Houston and fixed a date for about a week after. After that, they fell in love.
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Why Is Biles Defending Jonathan Owens’s Viral Comment?
Simone Biles has admitted that she found the backlash hurtful, and responding to them is her way of dealing with her emotions. She also wants people to know that Owens isn’t who they think he is, and she isn’t angry with his “catch” statement.
“I thought everything was OK, and then I go on Twitter and everybody’s like, ‘Divorce this man. He’s mean!’” Biles stated in the documentary. “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.”
Speaking on the impact of the online comments, Biles stated in The Pivot interview, “One night I broke down, and I’m like, ‘Why are you guys talking about my husband like this… 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.’” Biles has also vowed to block anyone who continues to attack her husband on social media.
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