Before becoming the most decorated gymnast in history, with 41 Olympic and World Championship medals, Simone Biles faced significant childhood challenges rooted in poverty and neglect.
In the past two years, her family drama has spilled onto social media, putting their private lives on public display.
Her birth mother, Shanon Biles, struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. As a result, authorities placed Simone and her younger sister, Adria Biles, in foster care for three years.
Their grandparents, Ron and Nellie Biles, eventually adopted both sisters and gave them a fresh start.
Though her life was not easy at first, Biles went on to build a celebrated gymnastics career. She has dazzled audiences with powerful flips, precise bar routines, and exceptional balance and flexibility.
Never one to forget where she came from, Biles recently took a moment to reflect on her journey.
On Oct. 25, the gymnastics star shared an Instagram story celebrating the triumph in her childhood.
She posted a screenshot of a lyric from Toosi’s song “Lil Terrio,” the opening track of his 2026 album “Platinum Heart 2.”
“We ain’t have no milk, I’m pouring water in my cereal,” Toosi raps about 65 seconds into the track.
The lines seemed to touch Biles and remind her of days when she was less fortunate. In the screenshot, she wrote, “We’ve come a long way just a foster kid trying to beat the statistics !!”
One fan cheering her on said, “And now she can buy milk for the whole city. LookAtGOD.”
Her post also tugged at another fan’s heartstrings who wrote, “I’m not crying at 8 am because Simone Biles posted about not having enough food as a kid and being a foster kid trying to beat the statistics.”
Someone else typed, “It can be done.”
Their mother’s substance abuse affected Biles and her sister Adria, along with their other siblings.
Their mother had a total of seven children. Most have also turned their lives around after authorities removed them from their mother’s care.
Their great-aunt, Harriet Biles, adopted Biles’ older sister, Ashley Biles Thomas, 36, and brother, Tevin Biles-Thomas, 31.
Authorities arrested Ashley in 2014 and 2015 on charges related to drug trafficking and driving under the influence.
Tevin, 31, joined the Army in 2014 and rose to specialist. In 2018, prosecutors charged him with multiple counts of murder after a Cleveland shooting left three people dead. A jury acquitted him of all three murders in 2021.
Her estranged sister, Micah Biles-Walker, 26, who reconnected with their mother at age 17, defended Shanon on TikTok.
Micah acknowledged that their mother was not the best parent but argued that she had done nothing to Simone to deserve the backlash she received.
Like Simone, Taron Biles-Walker has also gone the athletic route. He began his college football career at Norfolk State University before transferring to Winston-Salem State University in February 2026 to play wide receiver.
Shania Biles-Walker was on the track and field team at Whitehall-Yearling High School before graduating in 2025.
Micah, Mariah, Taron Biles-Walker, and Shania Biles-Walker all have the same father. There are no current updates on Ashley, Tevin, Micah, or Shania.
Simone has two other brothers, Ronald Biles Jr. and Adam Biles, 32, who are biologically her uncles but became her brothers after Ron and Nellie Biles adopted her.
As for Simone’s birth mother, Shanon, there hasn’t been a recent update on whether she is still sober and how things are going in her life.
In August 2016, while Simone was competing in the Rio Olympics, her biological mother told the Daily Mail that she hoped to reconcile with her daughter.
She said, “I would like to make amends with Simone personally – I’m just waiting for her and [her younger sister] Adria. I speak to Adria more than I speak to Simone. I would just ask her to forgive me. Can we move forward? Don’t judge me on my past. Let’s move forward.”
Shanon also claimed Ron “flipped a switch” once he signed the adoption papers. She claimed he cut off communication and visits.
But Shanon said she eventually understood why.
“I was still using and he didn’t want me coming in and out of their lives when I wasn’t right,” she told the outlet.
At the time of the interview, Simone’s biological mother said she had been sober since 2007. She also stated that she worked as a home health aide caring for elderly people.
