Simone Biles allegedly suffered a breakdown after a shocking interview with her husband went viral. Page Six reported that Simone spoke out about her bad experience on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.
The interview that affected Simone’s mental health so drastically happened in December 2023, when she and her husband, Jonathan Owens, made a joint appearance on “The Pivot” podcast.
28-year-old Jonathan, an NFL player, was recently signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Bears. Jonathan was formerly a safety with the Green Bay Packers. The Milwaukee Journal reported that he’s been “cut four times in his short NFL career.”
Meanwhile, 27-year-old Simone has won seven Olympic medals in her GOAT career as a gymnast. She’s set to lead the American team in gymnastics at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. This event always scores big TV ratings with viewers across the country and the world.
That’s why many viewers freaked out when Jonathan claimed on the podcast that he didn’t know who Simone was before they began dating. Jonathan also set off Simone’s audience by making it sound like she was lucky to have snagged him.
He said, “I always say that the men are the catch.” But Simone’s millions of fans weren’t having it, and the fallout became almost unbearable for Simone.
Simone’s Fans Attacked Jonathan
On April 17th, Simone’s “Call Her Daddy” episode appeared on YouTube. She got vulnerable with podcast host Alex Cooper, and what Simone had to say was unbelievable.
After Simone and Jonathan ended their interview on “The Pivot,” Simone said she initially felt like everything had “gone great.” But when Simone checked her social media after the episode went public, she couldn’t believe it as the vicious comments and “Jonathan bashing” began to pile up.
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Simone claimed that “everyone” on her social media commented, “Divorce this man. He’s mean!”
She also claimed that she thought all the negative feedback was pretty funny at first. But after a short while, Simone confessed that the nonstop hate “started to take a toll” on her.
She told Alex, “It was hilarious… then it hurt my feelings.” Simone didn’t seem prepared for her reaction to the podcast scandal when she confessed to Alex that she “broke down.”
She wondered to herself why her fans and followers were talking about Jonathan in such a negative way. Simone said, “You don’t know who he is, and if anybody’s met him, you know he’s the sweetest guy who will do anything for anybody.”
She repeated to Alex how much the situation “really hurt.” Simone added, “Talk about me all you want, but don’t come for my family, never.”
Simone Put an End to the Hate
The scandal blew up so much that Taylor Swift’s NFL superstar boyfriend, 2024 Superbowl champion Travis Kelce, threw shade at Simone’s husband this past January. Page Six reported that Travis and his brother, former Superbowl champion Jason Kelce, bashed Jonathan on their podcast, “New Heights.”
Although Jason started by poking fun at Travis for scoring a People’s Choice Award nomination for 2024 Athlete of the Year, he also joked that he couldn’t believe Simone’s husband hadn’t received a nomination since he was such a “catch.” Travis seemed to agree with Jason when he took a shocking jab at Jonathan. According to Page Six, Travis made the sarcastic comment that “Owens” was a good football player, “I guess.”
During Simone’s “Call Her Daddy” appearance, she said that Jonathan “never said I wasn’t a catch.” Simone sweetly agreed that Jonathan is a “catch,” and she added, “I’ve never met a man like him.”
Now that fans realize how much Simone was hurting deep down, it’s obvious how brave she was to hide her pain and clap back at the online haters. Jonathan also wants to support Simone at the Olympics this year, and Page Six reported that he is trying to get out of football training camp this summer so he can go to Paris with his wife.
But Simone confessed she is teasing Jonathan about one disagreement they’ve had. Allegedly, Jonathan believes football is much harder to play than gymnastics. If he ends up watching her perform at the Olympics, Simone hopes “the experience will serve as an ego check,” and Jonathan will realize how much stress Simone goes through and how much athletic ability her sport requires.
