Simone Biles is opening up about a 2023 viral interview involving her husband, Jonathan Owens, who sparked backlash from fans when the NFL player called himself “the catch” in their relationship.
Owens, 28, initially made the comments during an episode of The Pivot podcast in December. “I always say that the men are the catch,” he said, adding that he “was fighting” against his natural feeling of being “afraid to commit” before he and Biles, 27, officially began dating.
The comment sparked backlash on social media from fans criticizing Owens and Biles’ relationship, with some even calling for the gymnast to end her marriage with the NFL player.
During an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast on April 16, Biles revealed that the discourse around her relationship brought her to tears. “First of all, that interview had nothing to do with me,” Biles said of her husband’s conversation with The Pivot.
She added, “It was all for him. So I think they were mad that he didn’t include me in the interview, but he has to have his moments too, and I let him have it.”
The Olympian also noted that her husband’s comments may have been misconstrued. “He never said I wasn’t a catch,” Biles clarified. “He said he was a catch because he is. I’ve never met a man like him. A lot of people that meet him are like, oh my gosh. I want a man like that, like Jonathan.”
Biles said she initially found the discourse amusing. “I thought it was hilarious what people were saying divorce him, divorce him. All of this crazy stuff,” she shared, adding, “And, like, he doesn’t even like to say divorce. So I thought it was hilarious at first, and then they hurt my feelings.”
Eventually, Biles said she couldn’t handle the negative comments, revealing, “Then, like, one night, I broke down, and I’m like, ‘Why are you guys talking about my husband like this?’ “
Biles explained that her husband is “the sweetest guy who will do anything for anybody,” and the comments “really hurt” when the interview went viral. “That really hurt that they were talking about my husband like that. Because for me, it’s like talk about me all you want, but don’t come for my family,” she said.