Simone Biles reflects on husband Jonathan Owens’ backlash after viral interview

Roughly four months later, Simone Biles reflected on the public backlash that her husband, Jonathan Owens, received for his viral interview comments on “The Pivot Podcast.” Today (April 17), she joined “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper to address the criticism and fans’ calls for divorce.

"At first, I thought it was hilarious, and then they hurt my feelings," Biles stated during the podcast. "One night, I broke down and I'm like, 'Why are you guys talking about my husband like this? Like, you don't know him. You don't know who he is.’ And if anybody's met him, they know he's the sweetest guy and will do anything for anybody."

The Olympian further emphasized the personal hurt caused by the negative comments about her family. "That really hurt that they were talking about my husband like that," she continued. "Because for me, it's like, 'Talk about me all you want, but don't come for my family, never.' Because I've been in the limelight long enough where I can brush things off, have my little pow-wow about it. You're not going to know I cried about it, but I be crying about some stuff. But I only cry about it because I can't clap back. Just know that."

Owens, who appeared on "The Pivot Podcast" in December 2023, mentioned that he didn’t really know who Biles was when they initially connected on a dating app. The discussion with hosts Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor led to the Chicago Bears player calling himself "the catch" of the relationship, which unexpectedly spiraled into controversy on social media.

Reflecting on the episode's fallout, Biles said, "I was feeling great when he did that interview. I thought everything was OK. And then I go on Twitter and everybody's like, 'Divorce this man! He's mean!' And I'm like, ‘He's the sweetest. He praises the ground that I walk on.' Like truly, I've never met a man like him."

Biles concluded by saying that the context also might’ve been misinterpreted. "It was kinda hyped up. You know boys, whatever, those conversations. They're drinking their little tequila, whatever it is. So I think that was the thing. If it was that girls' moment, it's just different," she explained.

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