Jonathan Owens and Simone Biles Courtesy of Jonathan Owens/Instagram
Shortly after Jonathan Owens made waves for his comments about who is the bigger “catch” in his relationship with wife Simone Biles, he is sharing his pride in her accomplishments.
After Biles, 26, was named the Associated Press’ Female Athlete of the Year, Owens, 28, shared the news via his Instagram Story.
“You never cease to amaze me ❤️ ❤️,” Owens wrote via Instagram Story on Friday, December 22. “You deserve it baby!!!!! So proud of you 👏.”
The AP had named Biles its Female Athlete of the Year twice before, making her the fourth woman to earn the honor in the last 50 years.
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens are a match made in world-class athlete heaven. The Olympic gold medalist and the NFL player, who was then a Houston Texans safety, met via the dating app Raya in March 2020. “I didn’t know who she was,” Owens told Texas Monthly in June 2021. “I just hadn’t heard of […]
Days earlier, the Green Bay Packers safety sparked an online debate when he revealed that Biles “pulled [him]” when they started dating.
“I always say that the men are the catch,” Owens quipped on the Tuesday, December 19 episode of “The Pivot” podcast. “She did [pull me], though, because I was fighting it. … At the time, I was afraid to commit. I was like, ‘This is my third year [in the NFL], I’m trying … it’s kind of early, but, you know, it happens when you least expect it.”
Jonathan Owens and Simone Biles Courtesy of Jonathan Owens/Instagram
Owens added that they instantaneously “hit it off” during their first date after matching on dating app Raya in 2020, though he had no idea about her gymnastics career.
“I never really paid attention to gymnastics, so it piqued my curiosity [and I was like], ‘I’ll see what’s up,’” he said of coming across her Raya profile. “I didn’t know who she was at the time, but the first thing that I saw was that she just had a bunch of [Instagram] followers. So in my mind, I’m like, ‘OK, she’s got to be good.’”
Simone Biles is small in stature — just 4-foot-8 — but her reputation looms large. The Texas native started taking gymnastics classes at age 6 and and earned an invite to the junior national team camp by 14. She had several world championship gold medals before she made her Olympics debut in Rio de Janeiro […]
After two years of dating, Owens proposed and they wed in April.
Biles accompanied her husband to “The Pivot” taping and could be seen laughing when Owens recounted their relationship origin story. While Biles was seemingly unbothered by his remarks, many social media users criticized his comments.
“Watching Simone Biles’ husband sabotage her in public just a few months out from the 2024 Summer Olympics is a horrible thing to see,” one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote on Friday. “I want all the folks to know that even if you [don’t] not ‘like’ Simone Biles no one deserves to be treated like that.”
Making it to the Olympics is a feat that countless athletes dream of their entire lives. After years of blood, sweat and tears, participating in the most prestigious athletic event in the world is a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Some athletes compete one time in the Olympic Games and hang up their hats, stepping gracefully into retirement. […]
Another added: “I only know him as Simone Biles’ husband. Don’t ask me nothin’ else.”
Shortly after the comments sparked a viral debate, Owens shut down rumors of marital strife.
“Unbothered 😂❤️ Just know we locked in over here 🤞🏽,” he wrote via Instagram on Friday, sharing throwback wedding pics.
Biles, for her part, replied, “🤞🏾💋 for life.”