Jonathan Owens, NFL player and husband of Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, found himself under fire after remarks he made in an interview went viral. The couple’s relationship, though deeply supportive, faced public criticism over Owens’ words, prompting Biles to step in and defend her husband.
Simone Biles met and married the man of her dreams but didn’t expect that netizens would pick on something he once said about their relationship to troll him for months.
The couple is still together despite some people wanting them to divorce, and he’s since attended the Paris Olympics to support her.
Simone Biles of the US competes at the artistic gymnastics women’s all-around final of the Paris Olympic Games in Paris, France on August 1, 2024 | Source: Getty Images
What Are Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens Famous For?
Simone Biles is a 27-year-old artistic gymnast whose hometown is Spring, Texas, a place where she was homeschooled in 2015. The star debuted in the sport in 2013. In 2016, she earned four gold medals at the Rio Olympic Games.
She won her accolades in all-around, floor exercise, vault, and team segments. Her wins made her the first woman to achieve this since 1974. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Biles helped Team US win a silver, and she also took home a bronze medal in the balance beam segment.
Jonathan Owens of the Green Bay Packers reacts in a match against the Los Angeles Chargers on November 19, 2023, in Green Bay, Wisconsin | Source: Getty Images
In 2022, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The following year, she and the US Women’s Gymnastics Team won another gold medal at the World Championships. She and her team also participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Jonathan Owens of the Green Bay Packers during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 17, 2023, in Green Bay, Wisconsin | Source: Getty Images
The gymnast found support at the games from her husband, Jonathan Owens. Owens is a 29-year-old Chicago Bears defensive back (DB) who attended Missouri Western College. He’s a professional National Football League (NFL) player.
Gymnast Simone Biles hugs her husband Jonathan Owens at Soldier Field on September 29, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois | Source: Getty Images
The Couple’s Relationship
Biles and Owens connected via Instagram direct message in March 2020, and according to the gymnast, they “clicked really, really well in the beginning.” What caused them to get along so well was that they were both athletes and had the same busy work schedules.
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens at a game between at Toyota Center on December 28, 2021, in Houston, Texas | Source: Getty Images
Since they started dating during the COVID-19 pandemic, the duo spent all their time together “24/7.” Now, when they aren’t together, it almost feels weird for Biles. The star said it was “kind of gross” how they always call and text each other.
Owens revealed he fell for the gymnast a month into their relationship. He said he knew their relationship was special because of how Zeus, his dog, reacted to Biles. Zeus “really loved her,” and whenever the football player picked up his bookbag in his apartment, the dog would light up, thinking they were going to the gymnast’s place.
The NFL player’s pet would run to the front door in preparation for the perceived excursion, leading his owner to think, “‘Huh, you really like her!’” The more time the pair spent together, the stronger their connection grew.
They began hanging out more than over weekends, and he started feeling the need to see her often. Biles joked that they became so close that she stopped needing to leave, and they moved in together.
The couple was so inseparable that the gymnast would support Owens by attending his practices and matches. For example, in August 2021, Biles shared a cute Instagram photo of herself embracing her man on the field. In the post’s caption, she wrote, “Open practices aka bring your girlfriend to work day 🤍.”
A few days after that post went up, the gymnast was back for another practice session and this time she was seen kissing the NFL player on the field. The second image showed the pair smiling while hugging. Another example of how they support each other was when Biles attended one of his matches.
On December 3, 2023, she was seen kissing Owens during a match between his team, the Green Bay Packers, and the Kansas City Chiefs. The game was played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The two athletes were so serious about each other that they were soon engaged.
Simone Biles kisses Jonathan Owens before the game between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs on December 3, 2023, in Green Bay, Wisconsin | Source: Getty Images
Tying the Knot
During a February 2022 interview on “Today,” Biles confessed that she thought a proposal was due to come that year. But it was a shock because she didn’t anticipate it happening on Valentine’s Day. It took Owens two and a half months to plan his proposal.
In early December 2021, he started talking to the jewelers, and the footballer’s cousin helped him a lot. His relative called the restaurant, booked it, and helped arrange other things Owens couldn’t do. The athlete was nervous when he asked for Biles’ hand in marriage from her parents.
The gymnast revealed that her engagement ring was now one of her prized possessions and it “beats a gold medal.” In April 2023, Biles shared an Instagram picture of her and Owens sitting in a car holding up a marriage certificate and wrote, “Almost time to say ‘I do’ 📄🤍.”
Days later, she uploaded several photos of her wedding day, with one showing her and the footballer getting their union officiated. She titled the post, “I do, officially Owens,” and tagged her new husband.
Netizens Criticize Owens for Calling Himself “The Catch”
On December 20, 2023, Owens was interviewed on “The Pivot Podcast,” where he was asked how he attracted someone like Biles. The footballer revealed that the question they had to ask was “how she pulled me.” He then explained how it all happened saying he was in Houston for a few months and was single at the time.
A friend of his advised him to try a dating application (app) called Raya. After having the app for a few days, Biles popped up. The fact that she was a gymnast piqued his curiosity, as he’d never paid any attention to the sport.
Jonathan Owens talking about his relationship with Simone Biles on The Pivot Podcast on December 20, 2023 | Source: TikTok/thepivot
After swiping positively to her, the pair matched, and after a workout, Owens checked the app and discovered he got some likes. He decided to take a shower, and when he checked his phone again, Biles had messaged him.
But the footballer thought the message was fake, and at the time, he didn’t know who the gymnast was. What also got his attention about Biles was that she had a lot of followers, so he figured she was good at her sport.
A Pivot Podcast co-host reacts as Jonathan Owens talks about his relationship with Simone Biles on The Pivot Podcast on December 20, 2023 | Source: TikTok/thepivot
Explaining why he didn’t know her, Owens revealed he was in college when she won the first Olympics. Being at a training camp, they didn’t have Olympic channel coverage. But since Biles’ message came in on a Tuesday, they messaged back and forth before hanging out that Friday.
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens, as seen in a photo dated October 25, 2024 | Source: Instagram/simonebiles
Due to the pandemic hitting that year, the duo couldn’t do anything significant, and the gymnast drove 45 minutes to see the footballer. Owens said the rest was history before confirming that he was “the catch” in their relationship.
Jonathan Owens talks about his relationship with Simone Biles on The Pivot Podcast on December 20, 2023 | Source: TikTok/thepivot
The athlete also admitted that he was afraid to commit when he met his future wife. But when the pair hung out, they clicked instantly and laughed all night long. He confirmed that “it happened when you least expect it.”
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens, as seen in a photo dated October 25, 2024 | Source: Instagram/simonebiles
TikTok users who watched the interview had harsh opinions about it, like one person who wrote, “Nah this is actually insane😭.” Someone who felt sorry for Biles because of her husband’s story said, “I don’t know. This kinda made me sad for her 🥺🥺.”
Simone Biles reacts as Jonathan Owens talks about how they met and fell in love on The Pivot Podcast on December 20, 2023 | Source: TikTok/thepivot
Responding to the clip on X, another person felt, “How utterly stupid & disrespectful. He should have kept all of that [expletive] to himself. [Expletive], no one would know who he is if it wasn’t for Simone Biles.”
The viewer continued criticizing Owens, adding, “What man who is truly in love with a woman would try to diminish her in public or private. Simone needs to reassess this marriage.”
A netizen felt the interview was “cringe and embarrassing to be honest. He shouldn’t have disclosed all that.” Responding to the previous person, another X user believed, “He wants to humble her.”
Someone else thought the interview was going to lead to “Divorce in 3, 2, 1..” Agreeing with the previous poster, a netizen said, “They ’bout to break up soon. Same thing happened with Keke Palmer & her BD after their little interview.”
An X user also thought Owens’ interview was “Embarrassing.” Despite people trying to come to Biles’ defense, when netizens continued attacking her husband, she turned on them by showing him support.
Biles Stands by Her Man
In May 2024, Biles won the US Classic before taking to her Instagram Story with a message about her and her husband. Owens had attended her event in Hartford, Connecticut, where he cheered for her.
In her Instagram Story message that disappeared after 24 hours, the gymnast said, “I’m going to quickly address this, the joke was never a joke!”
She called her followers out, saying they were “blatantly being disrespectful” to her relationship and husband. The star continued, “So I’m gonna go ahead and say this one time. Respectfully, [expletive] off.”
Simone Biles explained that if netizens kept tweeting or commenting disrespectfully, she would block them. She added, “And no, I don’t need to touch grass…” The athlete was forced to say something because although it had been five months since that podcast interview, Owens was still getting backlash.
Simone Biles defends Jonathan Owens over his viral interview in a clip uploaded on May 2, 2024, on the Call Her Daddy podcast | Source: YouTube/Spotify
She concluded her post by saying “we love y’all so much” to everyone who supports them. Sharing his wife’s Instagram Stories post on his page, Owens captioned the post, “If y’all gone support!!!”
Simone Biles defends Jonathan Owens over his viral interview in a clip uploaded on May 2, 2024, on the Call Her Daddy podcast | Source: YouTube/Spotify
He urged people who refused to be respectful to “keep scrolling” because “being fake mad about people y’all don’t know from a can of paint is weirdo behavior.” Although Owens’ podcast interview happened months ago, in 2024, his wife was still getting asked about it.
Biles Clears the Air
In May 2024, Biles appeared on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast to address her husband’s viral Pivot interview. She explained that she never thought anything negative about the interview and clarified that Owens never said she wasn’t a catch but that he was one.
Jonathan Owens at the game between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings on December 31, 2023, in Minneapolis, Minnesota | Source: Getty Images
The gymnast revealed that she agreed he was a catch, as she’d never met “a man like him.” She confessed that people who met the footballer said they wanted a man like him. Biles also noted that a lot of the women at the gym love him.
She said he is nice to them and gives them support. One of the gym girls, who is like a little sister to the gymnast, usually got driven to training camp by the star. The unnamed woman would drive over to Biles’ house and leave her car in the driveway.
Jonathan Owens and Anthony Johnson Jr. at a game between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings on December 31, 2023, in Minneapolis, Minnesota | Source: Getty Images
Showing what a nice man he is, Owens got the woman’s car windows tinted for her safety. The athlete felt netizens took the wrong message from her husband’s interview and has been running with it since. Biles even explained that Owens’ Pivot interview had nothing to do with her.
Jonathan Owens and Simone Biles, as seen in a photo dated October 25, 2024 | Source: Instagram/simonebiles
The gymnast suspected that people got upset because he didn’t include her in the interview. But she didn’t agree and felt her husband deserved to have “his moments too,” which is what she wants.
Biles even shared that whenever she went to his football games, she received field passes but never tried to draw attention or make it about her.
All she wanted at his games was to see him playing and to give him good luck kisses. She wondered if people wanted her to interrupt her husband’s Pivot interview to make it about herself. The star also said she loves supporting him.
