If somehow people didn’t know who gymnast Simone Biles was before the 2024 Paris Olympics, they definitely do now. The 27-year-old has effortlessly won three gold medals and one silver this Paris Olympics, helping to make her the most decorated gymnast of all time with 11. Instead of wholly celebrating this unprecedented win for Black women, and all of her hard work leading to history-making success, some people are still focused on her husband, Jonathan Owens.
For context, in a 2023 interview with The Pivot podcast, the NFL player claimed he didn’t know who Biles was when they met as he didn’t really watch gymnastics. Owens also said that “men are the catch” in response to one of the hosts joking that he must have thought he was the catch when the two first met.
Those statements have managed to somersault all the way into 2024, and the Chicago Bears safety cannot catch a break. Unfortunately, this means that people are muddling a moment Biles has worked for her entire career by taking shots at her husband for his blunder.
While many of us joke that “The internet doesn’t forget,” this can be a toxic trait upheld by people sitting in their beds rubbing their feet together, projecting unrealistic expectations on public figures. We have all misspoken at some point and regretted it–having to be constantly reminded of our imperfections is unkind. And while there are times when reckless people need to be reminded of their mistakes, this isn’t that.
The iconic gymnast is over the jokes and has spoken out to defend her husband on multiple occasions.
“I’m going to quickly address this, 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–k off,” Biles wrote on social media in May. “[And] if you keep commenting or tweeting at me I’m just going to block you. Simple as that.”
While in Paris for the Games, and in between racking up medals in her diamond-adorned goat necklace, she addressed TikToker Kiera Breaugh. The social media user criticized Owens for wearing his wife’s gold medal in a picture taken with her. The clip has garnered more than four million views.
“Take her medal off!” Breaugh said. “Why is her medal around your neck for the picture you post? After everything, we’ve learned nothing? Let her wear the medal for the picture you post, after everything that’s gone on.”
@kierabreaugh
Biles caught wind of the video and made it clear that people had no idea what they were talking about.
“Crazy thing is, I put my medal on every single one of my family members and took pictures. so don’t ever make assumptions,” Biles wrote. “Like y’all are so f–king miserable. leave us alone.”
As you can probably guess, Biles is fighting a losing battle as internet trolls are relentless and still flood every comment section they can type in with cheeky comments about Owens. With the photo he shared of himself wearing her medal while giving her a hug, the comment section was full of similar comments. In fact, the posts about Biles’ recent wins at the Olympics are especially full of sarcastic comments reminding the footballer that his wife is the catch, despite the couple’s efforts to move on.
I think before judging someone, it’s emotionally intelligent to take a holistic view of their character. Prior to Owens’ viral interview, he was beloved by the internet because he did nothing but dote over his wife and openly support her. It’s funny how quickly people forget all of the love because of one off moment.
For those who are oblivious to how Owens loves his wife out loud, I’ll provide a few instances to jog your memory. In September 2023, the NFL player popped out to defend the gymnast from a woman who claimed she was rude. For the Olympics, he received permission from the Bears, his new team, to be away from training camp to cheer her on in the stands in Paris. While doing so, he’s worn T-shirts with her face plastered on them, and shown unwavering support throughout every single competition, sitting next to her mother and father. But that still isn’t enough because it’s easier to elucidate a stranger’s mistakes than to focus on your own.
The toxic behavior carried out by internet users reminds us why some people are mute about their relationships. People lack boundaries and basic respect because it’s easy to share unsolicited opinions online and project the lack of kindness you show yourself on to other people. It’s also easy to be self-righteous when your life isn’t public. I’m sure many people criticizing Owens for his comments and shaming Biles for staying with him have said worse to their partners or forgiven a loved one for more harmful offenses.
If you support and respect the legend that is Simone Biles, then stop with the stale comments. She has done something many people will never do and is enjoying that success with her spouse, who deserves the grace to make mistakes and grow from them. She’s made history. Let’s focus on that–not her husband.
