Nellie, Simone and Ronald Biles Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for InStyle
Before going for gold in the Olympics, Simone Biles overcame a childhood that wasn’t always easy.
The gymnast spent nearly three years in foster care before her grandparents Ronald and Nellie Biles adopted her at the age of 6. Once she found a stable home in Texas, Simone discovered gymnastics and worked her way to becoming one of the greatest athletes of the sport.
“I’ve been so fortunate with everything that God has given me and all the tools of life,” Simone told USA Today in 2021. “I never really cared to find out who my biological father was or really gain a close relationship with my biological mom, which I’m sure she probably wanted. But the cards that I was dealt, I just never felt a need to go back, which is very different for a lot of [adopted] kids, because they feel kind of that void. But I never did.”
While Simone’s family may be more complex than others, she can absolutely count on the support of a few special relatives who helped make her Olympic dreams a reality. Keep reading to learn more about Simone’s extended family.
Kelvin Clemons and Shannon Biles
Little is known about Simone’s biological father, Kelvin. However, her mother previously spoke out about her decision to place her children for adoption.
“It was hard to give up my kids, but I had to do what I had to. I wasn’t able to care for them,” Shannon Biles said in a 2016 interview with the Daily Mail. “I was still using, and [my dad Ronald Biles] didn’t want me coming in and out of their lives when I wasn’t right. … I didn’t understand it at the time but years later, I understood why. I had to deal with me first.”
Ronald and Nellie Biles
Ronald, Simone and Nellie Biles Courtesy of Nellie Biles/Instagram
After spending three years in the foster care system, Simone was officially adopted by her grandparents, Ronald and Nellie, at the age of 6. “Whenever we had visits with my grandpa I was so excited,” Simone recalled on a 2017 episode of Dancing With the Stars. “That was the person I always wanted to see walk in the foster home.”
When Ronald and Nellie adopted Simone and her sister Adria Biles, the family moved to Houston, where the Olympian’s love for gymnastics started. After visiting a gymnasium for a daycare field trip at the age of 6, Simone enrolled in classes and received support from her family as her skills proved to be anything but ordinary.
“[They] support me in any way possible,” Simone told People in 2016. “My parents make sure we have everything we need so that we compete to the best of our abilities.”
Adria Biles
While she is sometimes mistaken as Simone’s twin sister, Adria is nearly two years younger than the gold medalist. Raised by Ronald and Nellie, the former Claim to Fame contestant has a strong bond with Simone. They both spent much of their childhood competing in gymnastics, but Adria stepped away from the sport in 2016.
Off the mat, Adria has been dating softball player Janae Jefferson since June 2022 and earned a spot on the Shooting Stars, the professional dance team of the Houston Astros.
When people come up to her mistaking her for Simone, she doesn’t mind. “It’s been funny to watch her go from normal Simone to famous Simone,” Adria told ESPN in 2016. “We do look alike, I’ll give them that. But … I’m a good head taller than her. When we are side by side, people can definitely tell us apart.”
Tevin and Ashley Biles-Thomas
Ronald’s sister, Harriet, stepped in to adopt Simone’s siblings Tevin and Ashley. The pair were raised in Cleveland, Ohio. As they grew up, the siblings found themselves facing some legal troubles. In 2019, Tevin was arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder in a New Year’s Eve shooting. He was acquitted on all charges in 2021 after a judge said prosecutors did not have sufficient evidence to convict him.
Jonathan Owens
At the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Simone and Owens exchanged messages on a dating app. Soon after, a love story began. The couple got engaged in 2022, just after Valentine’s Day. “THE EASIEST YES,” Simone wrote via Instagram at the time. “I can’t wait to spend forever & ever with you, you’re everything I dreamed of and more! let’s get married FIANCÉ.”
In April 2023, the couple were married in an intimate courthouse ceremony in Houston a week after obtaining their marriage license.
When Simone is busy with gymnastics and Owens is booked during the NFL season playing for the Chicago Bears, the duo always finds a way to support each other. “No words can describe how proud of you I am baby 🤎,” Owens wrote via Instagram in July 2024. “Just knowing all the work that you put in and everything that you’ve been through, and to still come back and be as dominant as ever, I was speechless. I’m so thankful to be a part of this journey with you.”
