Simone Biles is speaking out about the controversy surrounding an interview with her husband, Jonathan Owens.
In the second part of “Simone Biles Rising,” which premiered on Netflix on Friday, the 11-time Olympic medalist shared her thoughts on the public backlash following Owens’ comments on The Pivot podcast last year, stating that his remarks were “taken out of context.”
During the interview, when asked if he was the “catch” in his relationship with Biles, he responded, “I always say that the men are the catch.”
When co-host Channing Crowder inquired how he managed to “pull Simone Biles,” Owens laughed and replied, “Man, it’s really how she pulled me, man. That’s the question.”
In the episode, Biles is shown laughing off-camera at Owens’ response, but his comments sparked a social media uproar.
“Social media gives [followers] this false sense of reality that they really know who you are and how you function,” Biles, 27, stated in the Simone Biles Rising episode.
“Most of the time, they don’t understand the mental toll that it takes, especially going into an Olympic year.” The athlete continued, “I know we signed up to be judged in the gym, but when you guys start talking about him or my family, yeah, I’m going to come at you guys.”
Biles also pointed out that those who don’t know her or Owens personally “equate our love to the amount of trophies and medals and accolades that I have, and that’s not how you measure love.”
“Most of the time, I bite my tongue, but now, yeah, I have a voice; I’ve always had a voice,” the gymnast explained. “Just because you didn’t think I wouldn’t see it doesn’t mean I’m not obligated to respond … it’s crazy.”
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