Simone Biles Opened Up About Feeling ‘Hurt’ by the Backlash to Her Husband’s ‘Catch’ Comments

Fast approaching her one year wedding anniversary, the greatest of all time gymnast Simone Biles is opening up about how hurtful she found some of the comments made about her husband, NFL player Jonathan Owens.

If you recall, Owens stirred up a bit of controversy in December when, during a joint podcast appearance with Biles, he seemingly downplayed her accomplishments. Mentioning that he didn’t know who she was at the start of their relationship, he responded to a question about how he “pulled” the Gold Medal-winning athlete by saying that he actually saw himself as the “catch” in the relationship.

“It’s really how she pulled me, man. That’s the question,” he said. His comments immediately sparked controversy and backlash, with many viewers characterizing them as disrespectful and egoistic. Throughout, Biles stood by her man and seemed totally unbothered, but she didn’t open up about the real impact the story had on her until now.

“I thought everything was OK, and then I go on Twitter and everybody’s like, ‘Divorce this man. He’s mean!’” Biles said on a recent episode of Call Her Daddy, per Page Six. “That really hurt that they were talking about my husband like that. For me, it’s like, talk about me all you want, but don’t come for my family, never.”

Biles emphasized that she did not find Owens’ comments at all offensive, and that he is a kind and supportive husband. “He said he was a catch…. Because he is! I’ve never met a man like him…. He’s the sweetest. He praises the ground that I walk on.”

Though the wave of comments was ostensibly pro-Biles, it nevertheless hurt to see so much unsolicited—and, to Biles’ mind, flat-out wrong—feedback about her marriage. “I thought it was hilarious at first and then it hurt my feelings,” she said. “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.’” Well, that’s good!