Simone Biles Clarifies Context of Controversial Jonathan Owens Interview

Simone Biles defended husband Jonathan Owens against online “haters” of his controversial interview calling himself the “catch” in their relationship.

In the new episodes of the Netflix’s docuseries Simone Biles Rising Part II, which drop on Friday, October 25, Simone, 27, explained, “In the beginning, appearing to outsiders’ views, is that they were the biggest fan of Jonathan. And then he did an interview, and it was taken out of context. And then they became Jonathan’s biggest haters.”

During a December 20, 2023, appearance on “The Pivot” podcast, Jonathan, 29, enraged the Olympic gymnast’s fanbase when asked if he considered himself the “catch” in the relationship. “I always say that the men are the catch,” the Chicago Bears safety responded.

In addition, when asked how he was able to “pull Simone Biles,” Jonathan said that Simone was the one to “pull” him. The two first met in 2020 after matching on a dating app, and she messaged him first.

After the interview went viral, fans flooded Simone’s social media pages with critical comments about her husband, especially since she was such a highly decorated Olympian while he had yet to make a big splash in the NFL.

“Who’s going over to someone’s profile and saying who you can and can’t love? Like, that’s just ridiculous. People are just … ugh,” Simone groaned in the docuseries.

The Texas resident has seven gold medals out of a grand total of 11 from three Olympic appearances, and explained how that has nothing to do with her marriage.

“They equate our love to the amount of trophies and medals and accolades that I have, and that’s not how you measure love. Like that doesn't equate to how much my husband loves me or likes me,” she explained about the haters.

Jonathan noted how just because they’re professional athletes and their careers are followed by fans, it doesn’t make them any different from other married couples.

“Just like how you wouldn’t want someone like bad-talking your relationship behind your back. Like, it’s just disrespectful. Like, you wouldn’t do it to anyone else, you know. We’re all human at the end of the day,” he explained. “Like, regardless of what the job is, you wake up and brush your teeth the same way. You know, there’s no difference. It’s just your job and it’s televised.”

Simone lashed out at those who attacked her husband online and noted that it had an effect on her mentally.

“Social media gives them this false sense of reality that they really know who you are and how you function. Most of the time, they don’t understand the mental toll it takes, especially going into an Olympic year,” she said.

Crosswords

Simone continued, “I know we signed up to be judged in the gym, but when you guys are gonna talk about him or my family, like, ‘Yeah I’m gonna come at you guys.’ Me, it’s a different part. Most of the time, I bite my tongue. Now I’m like, ‘Yeah, I have a voice. I’ve always had a voice.’”

The Ohio native was present when Jonathan did his controversial interview. Simone later revealed she “broke down” following the online backlash against her husband during an April 17 appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.

“I thought everything was OK, and then I go on Twitter and everybody’s like, ‘Divorce this man. He’s mean!’” Simone told ​host Alex Cooper. “I’m like, ‘He’s the sweetest. He praises the ground that I walk on.’ Truly, I’ve never met a man like him.”

The gold medalist went on to defend her husband, saying, “He never said I wasn’t a catch. He said he was a catch. Because he is!”

“I thought it was hilarious what all these people were saying, ‘Divorce him, divorce him’ … I thought it was hilarious at first and then it hurt my feelings,” Simone recalled.

“One night I broke down and I’m like, ‘Why are you guys talking about my husband like this? You don’t know him. You don’t know who he is and if anybody’s met him, you know he’s the sweetest guy, will do anything for anybody.’ That really hurt that they were talking about my husband like that,” the athlete continued. “For me, it’s like, talk about me all you want, but don’t come for my family, never.”

Jonathan and Simone got engaged in February 2022 after less than two years of dating. The lovebirds married in a Houston, Texas, courthouse on April 22, 2023, followed by a destination wedding in Mexico several weeks later.