Simone Biles Quips About Fans 'Couch Judging' Gymnast Performances Ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics

Simone Biles joked about viewers’ critical comments directed toward athletes during the 2024 Paris Olympics when she teased fans for judging Olympians’ performances.

“Olympic gymnast does a slight wobble after a never before seen or attempted tumbling combo,” the Instagram post that Simone, 27, reshared on July 27 read. “Me on my couch covered in Cheetos: ‘Yea… you gotta stick that landing.’”

The Ohio native added her own thoughts underneath and wrote, “No, but for real y’all always couch judging & coaching.”

Simone added three laughing face emojis to make sure no one took the comment the wrong way.

The talented gymnast returned to her third Olympic Games in August 2024 after competing in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo, which were held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Simone ended up withdrawing from the event in Tokyo after suffering from a mental block. Her decision to step back was one that garnered both praise and criticism in the following months.

Aaron Reitz, the former Texas Attorney General, was particularly harsh when he shared a video of former Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug, who competed with an ankle injury in 1996 and ended up helping Team USA win gold.

“Contrast this with our selfish, childish national embarrassment, Simone Biles,” Aaron wrote alongside the video.

The post has since been deleted and Aaron apologized to Simone in the following days.

“I owe @Simone_Biles an apology. A big one,” Aaron wrote on July 28, 2021. “I opined on subjects for which I am not adequately versed. That was an error. I can’t imagine what Simone Biles has gone through.”

However, several others applauded Simone and her decision to put her mental health first, including the brands Athleta and Visa, which were both sponsors for the Games that year.

“We stand by Simone and support her well-being both in and out of competition,” Athleta’s statement read, per AP News. “Being the best also means knowing how to take care of yourself. We are inspired by her leadership today and are behind her every step of the way.”

Visa sponsorship executive Andrea Fairchild told Sportico on July 27, 2021, “We are sending Simone support from across all of Visa and as part of the Team Visa family. This was a difficult, but incredibly brave decision and shows how Simone is able to inspire both on and off the mat. We wish her well in the days ahead.”

Despite some of the backlash Simone received after making the decision to withdraw from the 2020 Olympics, she was happy with her decision. She later opened up about the situation during an Ask Me Anything on Instagram.

“Walking away from the Olympic Games was a win in itself,” Simone said via her Instagram Story on October 16, 2021. “I know a lot of people thought I failed because they expected me to go out with five or six medals, but walking out of it was my biggest win. I had to put myself into consideration for one of the first times throughout my career. Most of the time, I’ve always put myself on the back burner, because I’ve always cared and thought about everybody else before myself.”