Simone Biles has once again found herself addressing critics on social media, as she defends her husband, Jonathan Owens.
After she helped Team USA secure its first gymnastics gold in the team final at the Paris Games, Biles allowed her NFL defensive back husband Owens to take photos wearing her medal on Tuesday night. This sparked outrage among observers who proclaimed only the athlete should wear the medallion.
Owens took to social media dedicating a post to his wife of two years and her historic win, which further irritated the gymnastics fan base.
“Witnessing history every time you step on the mat,” he wrote. “Congrats baby on becoming the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history!!!! Just wow!!!! 8 of them!!!!! So thankful I was there to see it.”
One TikTok user, Kiera Breaugh, posted a nearly two-minute video expressing her disapproval of Owens wearing Biles’ medal.
“Take her medal off,” she began, questioning Owens’ contributions compared to Biles’ extraordinary feats.
“Was it you, Mr. Simone Biles, that was flying through the air yesterday?” a bobblehead of her face said while floating on top of a picture of the otherwise happy couple. “Was it you who spun like a top thirty times in the air and landed without stumbling?”
The woman continued, “No, you were taking notes in the audience, and I thought that was cute. I was going to give him a pass. I thought him keeping score in the audience was kind of cute, and I was gonna take it easy on him.”
Breaugh’s rant, which garnered 2.7 million views, stemmed from past statements by Owens that seemed to place him and Biles in competition for the spotlight — a narrative often pushed by the media but dismissed by the couple.
The woman’s frustration comes months afters Owens’ December 2023 comments about him not knowing Biles was a world-renowned athlete before meeting her online via the Raya dating app. He said that he considered himself the “catch” in their relationship during a “Pivot” podcast interview, which many social media users took umbrage to.
Jonathan Owens took copious notes throughout Simone Biles' gymnastics routines in Paris. Not at training cap, but still studying. pic.twitter.com/AyS8AhyyCJ
— Bears History (@ChiBearsHistory) July 31, 2024
Breaugh seemingly overlooked Owens’ unwavering support for Biles during the Paris Games. Owens even took time off from the start of training camp with the Chicago Bears to watch Biles compete.
Biles, determined to defend her husband, responded directly to Breaugh’s TikTok video.
“Crazy thing is, I put my medal on every single one of my family members and took pictures,” Biles commented. “So don’t ever make assumptions. Like y’all are so f—king miserable. Leave us alone.”
Breaugh, rather than retreating, took to social media to boast about being called out by Biles.
Someone else commented this on tiktok & Simone responded lol https://t.co/jx0QqGFlJU pic.twitter.com/45hXSDrVSY
— Ichigo Niggasake (@SomaKazima) August 2, 2024
“Simone Biles … Olympic gold medalist … most decorated gymnast of all time … took time out of her day (I think she’s at the Olympics) to comment about the situation about her husband wearing her medal,” she said. “Yeah, she told us to ‘shut the f—k up’ and she put the medal on him. So she told him to, I can’t really be mad.”
Fans on the X platform railed the young woman, saying she brought it on herself and must be a glutton for punishment.
“Ohhh lord the embarrassment of being checked in front of the entire universe,” one person said.
Others said, “Girl, you were better off minding your own business” and “What tf is wrong with people.”
One X user summed it up, “These new kids are WEIRD! There is a better word I can’t think of to describe their need to give unwanted, unneeded, and unsolicited ‘takes’ on people then get off on being dragged.”
Biles has been addressing such “unsolicited takes” for a while, especially as people comment on her hair, style, and marriage.
Biles and Owens began dating in August 2020 after meeting on the Raya dating app. Biles admitted she initiated the conversation by sliding into Owens’ direct messages.
They publicly announced their engagement the day after Valentine’s Day in 2022, with Biles tweeting, “I can’t wait to spend forever & ever with you, you’re everything I dreamed of and more! Let’s get married!”
The couple married on April 22, 2023, and held an official wedding ceremony a month later in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Since then they have been each other’s biggest supporters.
