Why So Many Simone Biles Fans Can't Stand Her Husband Jonathan Owens

Simone Biles is America's sweetheart and the most decorated athlete, with a chance to might make history at the 2024 Olympics, which is why fans will come for anyone who shades her — including her husband, Jonathan Owens. Biles and Owens met on the exclusive dating app Raya, and it was the four-time gold medalist who reached out first. Thinking he was cute, she messaged him, and they started talking. "I saw that he was in the Houston area, so we started chatting a little bit, and then we went to hang out a week or two later," she revealed to the Wall Street Journal.

Owens proposed to Biles in February 2022, and the two officially married in April 2023. The Chicago Bears player often gushes about his wife on social media, but when they first met, he claimed that he had no idea what a star she was. "I just hadn't heard of her, and when I told her that, that's one of the things she liked," he told Texas Monthly. The footballer added, "It took me a while to come to grips with how hard her sport was. When we were first together, I was like, 'Man, you can't come outside and guard these wide receivers. Gymnastics is not that hard.'" While he certainly appreciates Biles' athleticism now, his comments had fans up in arms, and that's not the only thing he said about his wife that was a clear fumble.

Jonathan Owens sure has a way with words that get his foot firmly planted in his mouth. During an interview with "The Pivot Podcast," he again insisted that he didn't know who Simone Biles was when they matched on Raya. At the time of her Olympic debut, he was in college and at football camp, so he wasn't aware of her rising fame. Owens recalled Biles driving 45 minutes to see him after their initial conversation because they didn't have much to do during the COVID-19 pandemic. When it was suggested that he was the catch, the safety answered, "I always say the men [are] the catch, man."

Following his comments, The Cut tweeted, "You would think that, even for a professional NFL player, marrying Simone Biles is a humbling experience. And yet, that is apparently not the case for Biles's husband, Jonathan Owens, who recently claimed in a joint interview that he is 'the catch.'" An X user, formerly Twitter, wrote, "He knew who she was. And what makes him a 'catch'? Being on a football team means you are one among many. He's not a standout, nor a household name. I never heard of him & I bet Simone didn't either before meeting him. Biles is a well known standout athlete, with skills he lacks." Amid the backlash, Owens had one response — and it wasn't one that helped his likability at all.

Jonathan Owens might have won over Simone Biles' fans if he had issued a mea culpa after calling himself "the catch" in the relationship, but instead, he had an IDGAF attitude. The safety shared pics of himself with Biles on Instagram and captioned it with, "Unbothered. Just know we locked in over here." His post didn't do him any favors, and a fan wrote, "Making an OLYMPIAN feel like you settled for her is crazy." Another replied, "Just understand that SHE is the prize."

Owens, who has a strange living situation with Biles, revealed to Us Weekly that he didn't know about the backlash right away, but once he learned about it, he felt the need to speak out. "I don't mean to cuss, but like, damned if you do, damned if you don't. If you say something, they're going to say something; if you don't say something, they're going to say something. So, just live your life," he stated. Owens added, "People are going to talk about you anyway, so you might as well do it the way you want to."

These days, anything on the internet can be uncovered if you look hard enough, and Jonathan Owens got caught red-handed. After claiming he didn't know who Simone Biles was when she messaged him because he didn't follow gymnastics or watch the Olympics, fans dug up an old tweet from 2012. "Why is there an asian coach for the USA girls gymnist [sic]?" he asked on X, formerly known as Twitter. "So you did know," an X user replied. "U got caught in 4k broski," a fan wrote.

One came to Owens' defense and pointed out that Biles wasn't even competing in the 2012 Olympics because she was too young and tweeted, "y'all weird lol." A Biles fan argued, "I think it's more that he's shown that he has in the past paid attention to the [women's] gymnastics division. It is very peculiar that he would start getting amnesia about women's gymnastics four years later when his wife debuted." Others pointed out Owens' racially insensitive comment, with one X user asking, "Wait, so you think Asian people can't be American?" A fan responded, "Right?! How is this not the bigger part of the conversation? I don't really care about these people's relationship but that question needs answering."

Jonathan Owens has previously stated, "Gymnastics is not that hard," but does he have any signature moves named after him? According to Simone Biles, she and her football player husband often argue about who is the more athletic between the two — and he thinks he's the clear winner. During an appearance on Peacock's "2023 Back That Year Up with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson," Biles stated that they're both good athletes in their own right, but they get competitive about which sport is more difficult. "So, at the end of the day, gymnastics is harder, if he agrees or not," she declared. The Houston, Texas resident then threw some shade at her husband by adding, "He has done my workout in the gym, and he can barely do it, and then I went to their NFL workout, and I crushed it."

When Inside Gymnastics shared Biles' quote on Facebook, fans naturally flocked to her defense. "Love this! We all knew gymnastics was harder but I'm glad she put the debate to rest," one commented. Another joked, "I'd love to know what Mr Biles thinks of all this internet buzz about him."

Jonathan Owens stating that he is "the catch" on "The Pivot Podcast" was no surprise to Simone Biles as she was present during the conversation. After his comment, the camera panned to her, and she interjected, "The other day, I said, 'You know what, in a couple of years, nobody is going to call him Simone Biles' husband.' They'll call me 'Jonathan Owens' wife.'" A Reddit user pointed out, "Whitney tried shrinking herself to be 'Bobby's wife' but it never panned out...because she's WHITNEY HOUSTON. I cringed every time Simone interjected to 'support' her husband. I just wish she didn't feel the need to shrink herself to make her husband feel like a man." Another wrote, "Poor Simone is too young to see this is the beginning of a never ending pattern with this man."

Although Owens made his comment in 2023, Biles still finds herself defending him. "The interview had nothing to do with me. It was all for him. So I think [fans] 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," she stated on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast. The Olympian added that when she goes to his football games, she just wants to be there as his wife and not the superstar athlete that she is. "She not getting it but it's okay boo much love," a fan commented.