Simone Biles is pushing back against negative comments about her marriage to NFL player Jonathan Owens.
On May 19, the 27-year-old gymnast addressed the online criticism aimed at Owens, 28, following his support for her at the 2024 Core Hydration Gymnastics Classic in Connecticut.
In her Instagram Stories, Biles firmly stated, “The joke was never a joke! Y’all are blatantly being disrespectful to my relationship & my husband. So I’m gonna go ahead and say this one time. Respectfully, f— off,“ and warned, “[And] if you keep commenting or tweeting at me I’m just going to block you. Simple as that.”
Biles dismissed suggestions from critics, adding, “No I don’t need to touch grass or whatever tf y’all suggest….” She also expressed gratitude to their supporters, concluding with, “@ everyone else that supports us, we love y’all so much,” accompanied by a heart emoji.
Owens echoed Biles’ sentiments on his own Instagram Stories, criticizing the online behavior as “fake mad about people y’all don’t know from a can of paint.”
Owen’s Backlash on the Internet
The backlash against Owens intensified after his December interview on The Pivot podcast where he referred to himself as “the catch” in their relationship. He mentioned, “I always say that the men are the catch,” and discussed overcoming his reluctance to commit before dating Biles.
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Biles addressed the criticism in an April 16 appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast. She shared that the negative comments had brought her to tears, clarifying, “He never said I wasn’t a catch. He said he was a catch because he is. I’ve never met a man like him.”
Here’s the interview if you want to see it for yourself:
She also described her initial reaction to the online discourse, noting, “I thought it was hilarious what people were saying divorce him, divorce him. All of this crazy stuff,” but admitted the remarks eventually hurt her feelings.
“One night, I broke down, and I’m like, ‘Why are you guys talking about my husband like this?”
The couple originally met on the dating app Raya in 2020.
Biles and Owens were married on April 22, 2023, at the Harris County Courthouse in Houston. They later celebrated with a second wedding in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, surrounded by family and friends.
