COUPLESSimone Biles Says Online Trolls Have Taken a 'Mental Toll' on Her as She Continues to Defend Husband Jonathan Owens' 'Catch' Comments
Jonathan Owens claimed he was the 'catch' of their marriage while on a podcast in December 2023.
Simone Biles won’t let haters come after her loved ones!
During Simone Biles Rising, released on Friday, October 23, the 11-time Olympic medalist defended her husband, Jonathan Owens, from trolls who bashed him for his “catch” comments.
Simone Biles is an 11 time Olympic medalist, while Jonathan Owens plays for the Chicago Bears.
Biles insisted the remarks he made on “The Pivot” podcast last year were “taken out of context.” For reference, the NFL player — who has never won a Super Bowl — insisted he was the “catch” of their marriage on the December 2023 episode.
“Social media gives [followers] this false sense of reality that they really know who you are and how you function,” Biles added in the new docuseries. “Most of the time, they don’t understand the mental toll that it takes, especially going into an Olympic year.”
The 27-year-old — who married Owens in 2023 — continued: “I know we signed up to be judged in the gym, but when you guys are going to talk about him or my family, yeah, I’m gonna come at you guys.”
The athlete then explained that she and her spouse do not “equate our love to the amount of trophies and medals and accolades that I have,” noting, “That’s not how you measure love.”
Simone Biles told haters, 'When you guys are going to talk about [Jonathan Owens] or my family, yeah, I’m gonna come at you guys.'
Biles expressed that she has tried to stay silent on the drama, but it became too much to stay quiet.
“Most of the time, I bite my tongue, but now, yeah, I have a voice, I’ve always had a voice,” Biles shared. “Just because you didn’t think I wouldn’t see it doesn’t mean I’m not obligated to respond … it’s crazy.”
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About six months after the backlash, the 29-year-old defended himself to Us Weekly.
“I have all my social media notifications off, so I didn’t even know for a while,” he explained.
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens tied the knot in 2023.
“I was actually with my mom and Simone whenever it came out, so, all the comments and everything, I just let them read it. I try to stay off of it, and obviously, if you feel like stuff is kind of getting out of hand, that’s when you reach in and say something,” Owens added.
“I don’t mean to cuss, but like, d----- if you do, d----- if you don’t,” he said. “If you say something, they’re going to say something; if you don’t say something, they’re going to say something.”
Owens seemed to brush all the critics off, telling others: "Just live your life. People are going to talk about you anyway, so you might as well do it the way you want to."
But in April 2024, Biles said the criticism of her husband “really hurt” her feelings.
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens have previously spoken out against the backlash he received for his 'catch' comment.
“He said he was a catch,” Biles said on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “Because he is! I’ve never met a man like him.”
“I thought everything was OK, and then I go on Twitter and everybody’s like, ‘Divorce this man. He’s mean!’” she expressed. “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.”
