Without a doubt, Simone Biles is one of the most recognizable faces in the world. The U.S. gymnast is also one of the most decorated athletes in the nation, with a skill that only comes from natural talent and hard work.
However, her life has not been easy, with her early years rooted in poverty, addiction, neglect, and abandonment.
Shanon Biles, Simone’s biological mother, struggled with a severe addiction to drugs that spiraled out of control when the future star was just a toddler.
The Biles Siblings: A Sad Journey Through Foster Care and Adoption
In 1999 or 2000, concerned neighbors contacted social services, leading to the removal of Simone and her three siblings from their mother’s care in a rundown house in Ohio. Simone once said she believed that her mother cared more for the family cat, feeding it before she would feed the four children in her custody. Fortunately, while in foster care, the siblings were kept together.
By 2003, Simone and her younger sister, Adria, were adopted by their grandfather, Ronald Biles, and his wife, Nellie, and moved to Texas. Simone refers to them as “the only real parents I’ve ever known” and calls them Mom and Dad.
Her other two siblings were sent to live with another relative, and Shanon left to her own devices, had other children who, too, experienced similar stories of neglect.
Learn about the seven-time gold medalist’s siblings, including two rising stars in sports.
Ashley Biles-Thomas, 34
Ashley Biles-Thomas, the eldest of Simone’s biological siblings, has had a life starkly different from her star sister. Raised in Columbus, Ohio, Ashley’s life has been marred by criminal activity and the lingering effects of her mother’s addiction.
Ashley was with Simone and two other siblings when they were placed into foster care. Unlike Simone, she was adopted by her great-aunt Harriet, Ronald’s sister.
Unfortunately, Ashley struggled to escape the cycle of addiction and crime that had plagued her early life. In 2014, she was arrested for drug trafficking and operating a vehicle while intoxicated. The incident, which involved the discovery of oxycodone and oxymorphone pills during a routine traffic stop, resulted in her pleading guilty and serving a brief jail sentence, RadarOnline reported.
In 2015, Ashley was again arrested for driving under the influence with a suspended license, resulting in more legal troubles. Her struggles continued, and just before the start of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, Ashley was arrested for violating her 2019 probation.
This is around the time that Simone would withdraw from multiple events at the Tokyo Olympics to prioritize her mental health.
Despite these challenges, Ashley is a mother to a 15-year-old daughter named Nacari, according to an interview her mother Shanon did with the Daily Mail in 2016, and Ashley continues to navigate the difficult path shaped by her early life experiences.
Ronald Biles Jr., age unknown, and Adam Biles, 30
Technically, Ronald Jr. and Adam are Simone Biles’ uncles. After Simone was adopted by her grandparents, the two men became her big brothers.
Ronald II, the oldest, works as a Regional Sales Manager in Houston, Texas, according to his LinkedIn. Family seems to be his biggest passion, shown through various posts with and his wife of four years, Samantha. He posted a picture of his little daughter, Ronni Louise Biles, dressed like her famous aunt during the Paris Olympics, proving just how excited his family was for the competition.
Adam, the younger of the two, serves as an implementation consultant at an HR firm in Tempe, Arizona, his LinkedIn shares. He previously managed the family business, Simone’s training facility, World Champions Centre in Texas. The Safe Haven gym has also been the training home of Jordan Chiles.
Tevin Biles-Thomas, 29
Tevin Biles-Thomas, like Ashley, was placed into foster care and later adopted by his great-aunt Harriet. Tevin shares the same father as Simone and Adria, a man named Kelvin Clemons, who was also addicted to drugs during their early years.
Tevin joined the Army in 2014 and has since risen to the rank of specialist. He was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division as a cannon crew member and deployed to South Korea. He and his sister Simone had always been close up until this time.
Tevin’s life took a dark turn on January 1, 2018, when he was implicated in a shooting at a New Year’s Eve party in Cleveland that left three people dead. Initially charged with multiple counts of murder, voluntary manslaughter, and felonious assault, Tevin pleaded not guilty.
my brother tevin | everyone says we look like twins but we don't see it pic.twitter.com/WnljD48rMQ
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) September 11, 2017
His lawyer, Joe Patituce, once said the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley pursued the case against his client because of Tevin’s famous sister, according to Cleveland.com.
His legal battle was fraught with complications, including two mistrials due to procedural errors after the wrong evidence was handed to jurors during the trial.
still having a hard time processing last weeks news pic.twitter.com/GU0nQt2PZY
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) September 3, 2019
In June 2021, Tevin was ultimately acquitted of the triple homicide after the judge ruled that the evidence was insufficient to convict him. The trial and its fallout weighed heavily on Simone, who expressed her grief for the victims and their families on social media.
Adria Biles, 25
Adria Biles, two years younger than Simone, is one of her closest siblings and was a bridesmaid at Simone’s wedding. Adria followed her sister into gymnastics, competing for ten years and reaching Level 9, just one step below the professional stage.
Outside of gymnastics, Adria gained some recognition on the reality TV show “Claim to Fame,” where relatives of celebrities competed to keep their identities a secret. She was also a dancer for the Houston Astro Shooting Stars.
Adira and Simone are both gifted in their own way but Adira admires her big sister’s passion to thrive.
“Sometimes I think she’s an alien,” Adira joked. “I think that given our circumstances growing up, I kind of think about that sometimes. I’m like, ‘she had the talent but had she not been given the resources I don’t think she would be where she is.'”
“You put someone where they belong and they kind of just thrive and I think that’s what happened,” said Adira about Simone
Micah Biles-Walker, 24
Micah, like her younger siblings, shares the same mother as Simone but not the same father.
Micah recently defended her mother on TikTok against criticism after she took an interview about her estranged relationship with the history-making gymnast.
She has spoken candidly about her complicated relationship with both her mother and Simone, acknowledging that her mother’s addiction affected her ability to care for her consistently.
She stressed that while Shanon might not have been the ideal parent, she was not a bad person and deserved grace as a work in progress. Micah revealed that her relationship with her mother only truly began to develop when she was 17.
According to Micah, due to Shanon’s drug addiction, she was unable to consistently care for Micah and her siblings since she was around nine years old and gave clarity on the three sets of kids.
Ashley has a different father from Tevin, Simone, and Adria. Micah, Mariah, Taron Biles-Walker, and Shania Biles-Walker, all have their own father.
There is no public information about Mariah.
Taron Biles-Walker, Sophomore in College
Taron Biles-Walker is Simone’s second youngest sibling and has followed in her athletic footsteps. A sophomore business student at Norfolk State University, he plays as a wide receiver and kick returner for the NSU Spartans. Simone’s half-brother made a notable impact during his freshman year, playing in ten games and earning recognition for his performance on the field.
According to the school’s website, he made the honor roll his entire freshman year as a scholar athlete. He said seeing his sister win dozens of awards and medals was inspiring in an interview with the Virginian-Pilot.com. He stated, “I ain’t gon’ lie it’s too many to count. Way too many. It’s a lot.”
Taron, driven to make his own mark, tweeted as a high school senior, “My name will be one to remember soon.”
my name will be one to remember soon 🙏🏾
— Taron Biles-Walker ☔️ (@_biles5) January 19, 2023
Shania Biles-Walker, Senior in High School
Shania Biles-Walker, the youngest of Simone’s siblings, is a senior in high school and competes in the shot put and discus at Whitehall-Yearling High School in Whitehall, Ohio, Shania has already begun to carve out her own identity as an athlete.
Her team’s strong performance during her junior year in the girls’ shot put relay demonstrated Shania’s potential, and she continues to train and compete with the same determination that has defined her family’s legacy.
While Simone’s journey to becoming a world-class athlete is well-known, the lives of her siblings offer a reminder of the impact of addiction. They also show what true resilience looks like and how children who were not supposed to make it did.
