Simone Biles found her happily ever after when she married the love of her life. But not everything is roses for the gold medalist.
The pairs relationship faced unexpected challenges when netizens dug up an old comment he made about their bond, using it to troll him relentlessly for months.
Despite the negativity and some people even hoping for their split, the couple has remained strong. He has shown unwavering support, including attending the Paris Olympics to cheer her on.
Fans criticize Owens for calling himself “THE CATCH”
On December 20, 2023, Jonathan Owens appeared on The Pivot Podcast, where he was asked how he managed to attract someone as renowned as Simone Biles. The football player humorously flipped the question, suggesting that the real inquiry should be, “How did she pull me?” Owens then shared the story of how their relationship began.
He explained that he was in Houston for a few months and single when a friend suggested he try the dating app Raya. A few days after joining, Biles appeared on his feed. Her status as a gymnast piqued his interest since he had never followed the sport closely. After swiping right, they matched. Owens was intrigued by the attention she received on the app, noting that she had many followers, which hinted at her success in gymnastics. However, at the time, he didn’t realize who she was.
The first message from Biles caught him off guard, as he initially thought it was fake. His lack of recognition of her was due to being in college during her first Olympic triumph, where he was at a training camp without access to Olympic coverage. Their conversation started on a Tuesday, and by Friday, they were hanging out. Due to the pandemic, they couldn’t do much, but Biles drove 45 minutes to see him, and the rest, as Owens said, was history.
Owens admitted that he initially had fears about committing, but when they spent time together, they connected instantly and spent the night laughing. He summed it up by saying, “It happened when you least expect it,” and playfully declared that he was “the catch” in their relationship.
The interview sparked controversy on TikTok and other social media platforms. Some viewers criticized Owens for his remarks, with one person calling it “insane.” Another expressed sympathy for Biles, saying, “This kinda made me sad for her.” Others on X (formerly Twitter) were more critical, with one person calling Owens’ comments “stupid and disrespectful,” adding that he should have kept those thoughts to himself.
Another viewer suggested that no one would know who Owens was if it weren’t for Biles, questioning why a man who truly loved his wife would try to diminish her publicly. Some found the interview “cringe and embarrassing,” with one user predicting that it could lead to a divorce, comparing the situation to Keke Palmer and her partner after a similar incident.
Despite the backlash, Biles stood by her husband, defending him against the online attacks and showing her unwavering support.
Simone stands by her man no matter what. She is madly in love
In May 2024, Simone Biles secured a victory at the US Classic and took to her Instagram Story to address ongoing criticism about her relationship with her husband, Jonathan Owens. Owens had been in Hartford, Connecticut, cheering her on during the event. In her message, which was only visible for 24 hours, Biles firmly stated, “I’m going to quickly address this, the joke was never a joke!”
She called out those who were “blatantly being disrespectful” towards her marriage and husband. Biles made it clear, saying, “So I’m gonna go ahead and say this one time. Respectfully, (expletive) off.”
She warned that if people continued to tweet or comment disrespectfully, she would block them. She added, “And no, I don’t need to touch grass…” The gymnast felt compelled to speak out because, despite it being five months since the podcast interview, Owens was still facing backlash.
Biles ended her post by expressing gratitude to their true supporters, saying, “we love y’all so much.” Owens shared his wife’s post on his Instagram, captioning it, “If y’all gone support!!!”
He urged those who couldn’t be respectful to “keep scrolling” and criticized the trend of “being fake mad about people y’all don’t know from a can of paint,” calling it “weirdo behavior.” Despite the podcast interview being months old, the couple continued to face questions and criticism about it in 2024.
Some men are really into themselves. That is just their makeup. And I’m sure she is aware of that by now. In other words, it’s their decision how they live and treat each other no one else’s. Done!!