Simone Biles’ husband Jonathan Owens jumps to her defence after fan labels her rude

‘I don’t play about my baby,’ he writes

Amber Raiken
New York
Friday 29 September 2023 21:54 BST
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Related: Simone Biles’ supportive response to a gymnast overlooked

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Simon Biles’ husband Jonathan Owens has come to her defence after a fan claimed that she was “rude”.

The football safety, 28, took to X - formerly known as Twitter - to hit back at the criticism about his wife. In a post, which is now private but which has been reshared by Owens, a social media user claimed that when the couple came into their makeup store, Biles was “so f***ing rude”. The store associate also alleged that when her coworkers “politely asked Biles for a picture,” the athlete said “absolutely not,” before allegedly complaining to the manager about hating “the feeling of people staring at her while shopping”.

In his tweet, Owens went on to defend his wife for declining requests to take pictures with her while she’s in public. He also urged fans to stop following him and his partner when they’re out.

“Spreading lies on the internet is crazy, it’s okay for her to deny a picture. People don’t understand sometimes you just want to shop in peace, if she stops and takes one picture people will just keep following her and won’t leave us alone,” he wrote.

In the initial post, the retail associate claimed Biles was “so rude to staff” and reportedly responded “do I look dumb” after they offered to help her. However, the worker also alleged that Owens “was a sweetheart,” and mouthed “I’m sorry” to the workers at the store.

Despite what the X user alleged about Biles’ behaviour, Owens quickly shut the claims down, writing that he’d never heard his partner respond that way to someone. He also criticised the retail worker for making claims about the Olympic medalist, who he called the “sweetest person in the world”.

“And another thing, I’ve never heard her talk to someone like that, especially to someone who asked her for a picture, like why would you try to make her look like that, she’s sweetest person in the world,” he said. “I just couldn’t let this go, especially if I was there like you said I was.”

When sharing the screenshots of the tweet about the alleged incident, he added: “I’m not going for that, I don’t play about my baby.”

This isn’t the first time that Owens has stood by Biles, who he’s been with since 2020. In 2021, he took to Instagram to support his partner after she pulled out of Team USA’s gymnastics team final in the Olympics in order to focus on her mental health.

“Imma ride with you through whatever baby… Your strength and courage is unmatched and you inspire me more and more everyday SB,” he wrote in the caption of his post, which included a snap of Biles in her gymnastic uniform. “You always gone be my champ baby and don’t you ever forget that, I love you so much and I can’t wait till you come home and I get to see that beautiful smile again. You know I’m always here for you baby.”

In April, the couple announced that they’d officially tied the knot, over a year after they got engaged. As she shared snaps from the wedding ceremony on Instagram, Biles went on to confirm that she was “officially Owens”. In a separate post, which included photos from the ceremony, she wrote: “I never knew a love so deep.”

Owen also shared the news on his own Instagram at the time, writing: “My person, forever,” alongside a ring and heart emojis.

In August, Biles spoke candidly about her relationship with Owens, while he was in the midst of travelling with his NFL team, the Green Bay Packers. As she shared a snap on Instagram of her and her husband kissing on a football field, she wrote: “Long distance isn’t easy, but seeing you play your heart out is so worth it, I’m so proud of you baby.”

She revealed that they were no longer long-distance earlier this month, as she posted a photo of her and Owens’ hands together. “Back together again,” she wrote in the caption.

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