The Untold Truth Of Simone Biles' Husband, Jonathan Owens

Jonathan Owens has made a name for himself in the NFL and as one-half of a power couple alongside US Olympic gymnastics legend Simone Biles. But there is more to the athlete than being a football player and, as some Internet trolls have referred to him as, "Mr. Simone Biles." The midwestern-born Owens has faced his fair share of tragedy and setbacks in his personal and professional life. From significant family losses to a change-filled career path, he hasn't let things keep him from pursuing greatness both on and off the field. "Just because you have a name doesn't mean you'll get the advantages," he once told Go Long. "You still have to work."

In terms of his life alongside his record-breaking athlete wife, he's even made strides to better himself at her encouragement through outlets like therapy to help him work through things in a new way. "...[Now] I'm playing free," he continued to Go Long. "I addressed stuff that I didn't know that I was struggling with...Once you do that mental work? Your mind is a powerful weapon."

Before he reached the NFL, Jonathan Owens was an up-and-coming sports star in St. Louis, Missouri. He grew up with an older sister (Chanel Bady), his mother (Arthurine Cannon), and his stepfather (Nathan Cannon) while he perfected his athletic prowess. He particularly liked basketball, something Cannon, who he called "Dad," also played in his youth, and both of Owens' parents supported their son as he progressed in his career.

But tragedy struck just before Owens' final year of college. His stepfather was shot and killed in his hometown, and authorities were unable to find the murderer or a motive. The loss affected the entire family. Owens took it upon himself to commit even harder to his athletic craft to help care of his mother in his father's absence. Owens has not publicly commented on the tragedy, but a profile in Go Long detailed his renewed focus in its wake. Just one week after his father's funeral, the athlete was back on the field to play in his college's season opener and went on to have such a stellar season that he was able to secure his own pro day before he NFL draft.

Jonathan Owens was almost sidelined for good from twice during his burgeoning football career. In high school, he faced a knee injury at the start of his senior year, which he played through despite the swelling. He eventually learned that what he thought was a simple knee injury was actually an ACL tear, and he had been playing on it for the whole season. Luckily, that didn't stop Missouri Western State University from awarding him a scholarship to play football the following fall.

When he finally made it to the NFL by signing with the Arizona Cardinals to play safety in 2018, he endured another heartbreaking injury that had the potential to foil the next big step in his football career. During organized team activities (OTAs), Owens tore the ACL in his other knee, effectively ending what would have been his rookie season and shaking his confidence simultaneously. "I'm just laying on the ground crying because I don't even know how [this] works," he told News-Press Now. "I'm thinking, 'I came all the way here and got hurt.'"

Once he fully recovered from his various knee injuries, Jonathan Owens was ready to continue on his NFL path. But after being cut by the Arizona Cardinals, he faced uncertainty in his career for the first time. While his teammates (and competitors) were out practicing, Owens struggled to make moves for himself – both on and off the field. "[Guys would tell] me, 'You're good, bro. Something's going to happen. It's a long season,'" he said in an interview with the Houston Texans, a team he signed with in 2019. People will tell you that, but in my mind, when [you've] only played football since [age] 12, I don't really know what I am outside of it."

Owens played for the Texans for four seasons before signing with the Green Bay Packers. His time there was short, however, and he signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Bears. Despite being passed around to multiple teams, Owens hasn't let it stop him from continuing his career. "If anyone in the NFL knows, when you say you're undrafted, it's always a respect thing," he said in an interview with the Green Bay Packers. "I went to a Division II school right out of high school. I always carried a chip on my shoulder."

While focusing on his athletic career, Jonathan Owens met his future wife, Olympic great Simone Biles, on social media during his time in Houston, Texas. Despite Biles showing love to her future hubby since 2019 via Instagram likes, the football player has admitted he wasn't familiar with the record-breaking gymnast when they connected in March 2020. "It was just kind of like, 'Oh, she's got a lot of followers. You know, she must be pretty good or something.'" He shared in the Facebook series "Simone vs. Herself" (via Harper's Bazaar).

The two eventually met in person at the height of the global pandemic, and their love affair took off from there. "It was one of the few times in her life where everything was just shut off and she couldn't do anything," Owens told Texas Monthly. "So we used it to get to know each other—really get to know each other. It created our bond and made it stronger."

In 2022, Jonathan Owens and Simone Biles finally tied the knot with two special ceremonies. The first was a simple civil ceremony in Houston, Texas, in April 2023, which Biles shared photos of on Instagram. A month later, the couple headed to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for a lavish ceremony with their family and friends. "Seeing Jonathan at the altar was a dream," Biles gushed about their getaway wedding to Vogue. "Our guests were cheering for everyone. I was shocked by the love in the air. The ceremony was so beautiful and dreamy!"

The couple didn't have much time to celebrate their newly wedded bliss. Days later, the pair headed to Wisconsin so Owens could officially sign a contract with the Green Bay Packers. "It was just like the perfect wedding gift, I guess you could say," Owens told USA Today. "As soon as we got back from our short honeymoon, I came right here. Had to get to work."

Jonathan Owens has received brutal online backlash after making some questionable comments about his uber-famous Olympian wife, Simone Biles. In an episode of "The Pivot" podcast, Owens made some misogynistic-leaning statements about perceptions between him and his wife. "I always say that the men are the catch," he shared on the podcast. "...I was afraid to commit, this is my third year [in the NFL], it's kind of early, but like I said man, it happened when [I] least expected it."

Needless to say, fans were not thrilled with how Owens painted their relationship, and many began referring to him as "Mr. Biles" (per TMZ). In the aftermath, Owens tried not to pay attention to the vitriol. "I just let [my wife and my mother] read it," he told US Weekly. "I try to stay off of it, and obviously if you feel like stuff is kind of getting out of hand, that's when you reach in and say something."

Biles, however, was quick to defend her husband against the naysayers. "When he did that interview, I thought everything was okay," she shared on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast. "And then I go on Twitter, and everybody's like, 'Divorce this man...' First of all, that interview had nothing to do with me. It was all for him ... he has to have his moments, too."

Even world-famous athletes and their partners have their occasional spats! Simone Biles once revealed that she and her husband, Jonathan Owens, have argued about which of them was the better athlete. "I think we're good at our own sports," she shared on "2023 Back That Year Up with Kenan Thompson." "We've tried to pin each other against on like, difficulty, ability and all that stuff. So, at the end of the day, gymnastics is harder — if he agrees or not." Biles admitted that the couple have even taken to the gym to prove their point to one another. But even after fighting for their respective fields in the gym, the Olympian maintained their love for each other trumped everything else – even if it was Biles who "won" the battle. "He has done my workout in the gym and he could barely do it and then I went to their NFL workout and I crushed it," she told Thompson and guest host Kevin Hart.

Despite their squabbles about their respective athleticism, Jonathan Owens is a devoted husband when it comes to supporting his superstar wife. He even negotiated time off from training into his NFL contract with the Chicago Bears to travel to Paris, France, to cheer on his spouse during the Olympic Games. Owens asked his new team to provide him with an excused absence during training camp to travel to Paris, and luckily, the powers-that-be agreed to let their new player travel abroad to support his spouse (per Yahoo! Sports).

During the games, he was seen alongside Biles' parents and calculating scores throughout the competition. Biles went on to win four medals at the event, making her the most decorated female Olympic gymnast in US history. Owens shared his adoration for his wife and her achievements on Instagram and in the press. "I just think about, 'How did I get so lucky that this is my wife and I get to see her?'" Owens told the media (per Yahoo! Sports). "Someone that's literally at the pinnacle of their sport, and I get to call [her] my wife. [I'm] just blessed."

After Simone Biles' record-breaking turn at the 2024 Paris Olympics, she and her husband, Jonathan Owens, have discussed their family plans for the future. "Me and Jonathan always talk about kids," Biles revealed in an interview with TODAY. "He would have them, like, yesterday if he could have. Obviously we both have goals that we want to achieve before we start a family. But yes, that's definitely in our future."

As for their future brood, Owens shared that neither he nor Biles feel the need to pressure their potential children to follow in their parents' athletic footsteps. Instead, they envision themselves supporting their brood in whatever their path sets before them – while still reliving their parents' past from time to time. "If that's what they want to do, I'm not going to try to force anything on them," Owens told People. "...Whatever they want to do, I'll just support them a hundred percent."