MyKayla Skinner is reaching out to Simon Biles, urging her to “put an end” to the cyberbullying she’s been enduring after making controversial comments about the current U.S. women’s gymnastics team.
The former Olympic gymnast went on her Instagram on Tuesday, asking Biles to request her social media followers to cease spreading hate and issuing threats amid their reported disagreement.
Skinner expressed in a detailed video, “I sincerely hoped that this topic wouldn’t need to be revisited, but unfortunately, things have really gotten out of hand lately. It’s one thing to disagree with me regarding something I have said or a point I was trying to make, but it’s something else entirely when that turns into cyberbullying or even worse.
She continued, “Watching people cheer on the bullying — which has led to threats of physical harm to me my husband and our daughter — is disgusting. So please, at this point, I’m just asking for it to stop for the sake of my family because enough is enough.”
Skinner, who won the vault silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, received criticism leading up to the 2024 Olympics for her remarks about some former teammates participating in the Paris Games.
“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t what it used to be,” Skinner said in a YouTube video last month. “I mean, obviously, a lot of girls just don’t work as hard.
Biles responded to Skinner’s comments in her Instagram post celebrating the U.S. team’s win, writing, “Lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions” in the caption.
Despite Skinner personally contacting each member of the U.S. gymnastics team, she mentioned that only Biles responded, expressing her pride.
This led to Skinner feeling “surprised” by the Instagram caption from the Olympic gold medalist.
“If Simone truly believes that I called our team lazy and lacking talent, and if that’s really how she feels, I am really heartbroken over it,” Skinner said.
“But not just heartbroken because it isn’t what I feel or even how I previously said, but because Simone’s latest post and others that followed it fueled another wave of hateful comments, DMs, articles and emails.
“Hate that includes death threats to me, my family, and even my agent. My family and my friends don’t deserve to be caught in the crossfire here. They’ve done nothing.”
She ended her video with a message directed at Biles: “To Simone, I am asking you directly and publicly to please put a stop to this. Please ask your followers to stop. You have been an incredible champion for mental health awareness, and a lot of people now need your help. We’ve been attacked in ways that I’m certain you never intended. Your performance, the team’s performance and the Olympics in general should be a time that we support one another.”
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