Jonathan Owens and Simone Biles (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Star gymnast Simone Biles has revealed having suffered an emotional breakdown due to the backlash her husband, Jonathan Owens, received for claiming he did not know who she was before they began dating.
Owens, an NFL safety who joined the Chicago Bears after a season with the Green Bay Packers, revealed he wasn’t aware of who Biles was during an interview on ‘The Pivot’ late in 2023.
He also declared he was “the catch,” recalling she drove hours to meet him for the first time.
The comments prompted a wave of criticism and abuse, which Biles admits got to her.
“He said he was a catch,” she said on the ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast (H/T Marca). “Because he is! I’ve never met a man like him. I thought it was hilarious at first and then it hurt my feelings.
“One night I broke down and I’m like, ‘Why are you guys talking about my husband like this? You don’t know him. You don’t know who he is and if anybody’s met him, you know he’s the sweetest guy, will do anything for anybody.‘”
Nearly 95 percent of Americans never tuned in to the Olympics in 2021, and there are way more of them who don’t watch the games than those who do.
As for Owens, he was still in college when the gymnast shot to fame and didn’t care for the Olympics at all. Of course, he cares now.
Still, fans who keep abreast got on his back over his comments despite Biles confirming what he said and asking them to lay off him.
Simone Biles Reveals Jonathan Owens Only Recently Applied For His First Passport
According to Simone Biles, her husband only recently acquired a passport to support her at the 2024 Olympic Games.
“I mean, in Paris I think they will do a beautiful job and he doesn’t travel overseas too much,” Biles noted. “He had to get a passport – he never had a passport before. I’m excited for him to see the Olympics because football’s not in the Olympics and he always says it’s the hardest sport, it’s universal. So, why is it not in the Olympics?“
Given this information, it’s not hard to see how the man had no idea who Simone Biles was before they began speaking.