Simone Biles’ husband Jonathan Owens responds to backlash over ‘catch’ comments: ‘Unbothered’

The decorated Olympic gymnast and NFL player tied the knot in April 2023

Olivia Hebert
Los Angeles
Sunday 24 December 2023 15:52 GMT
Comments
Simone Biles in slow motion

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Simone Biles’s husband Jonathan Owens is reportedly unbothered by backlash against comments he made about their relationship.

The 28-year-old Green Bay Packers safety appeared on the latest episode of The Pivot podcast alongside Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time, and recalled how they met and how she was the one to make the first move.

When podcast co-host Channing Crowder asked Owens “How in the hell did you pull Simone Biles?”, the NFL player revealed that at the time he “didn’t know who she was.” The pair connected in 2020 after matching on the Raya dating app.

“I’m like, ‘Lemme see who this is.’ I never really paid attention to gymnastics, so it piqued my curiosity,” Owens admitted, but once he saw her Instagram profile, he realised that Biles was a big deal. “The first thing that I saw was that she just had a bunch of [Instagram] followers. So in my mind, I’m like, ‘Okay, she’s gotta be good.’”

Owens continued to explain that he wasn’t aware of Biles because when she hit the scene, he was knee-deep in college football training all summer. The NFL safety recalled, “When she won the Olympics, I was in college and we didn’t have NBC, we didn’t have Olympics channels, and we were in [training] camp [in] late July, early August.

“So I’m not paying attention. I never would’ve had a moment where I would’ve watched [her compete],” he added. After she first messaged him, they began to frequently text one another, before meeting in person for the first time three days later.

Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens pose on the field prior to Game One of the 2022 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on 28 October 2022 in Houston, Texas
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens pose on the field prior to Game One of the 2022 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on 28 October 2022 in Houston, Texas (Getty Images)

“We couldn’t do much, because Covid happened and everything was shut down,” the football player said. He had been playing for the Houston Texans at the beginning of the pandemic.

“So she came down to Houston. She lived in the suburbs, so she had to drive about 45 minutes. Then the rest is history.”

When asked if he believes he’s the “catch” in their relationship, Owens surprisingly replied, “I always say that the men are the catch.”

He added that at first, he struggled with the idea of committing, but eventually came around because of how different his connection with Biles felt. He said, “I’m like, ‘It’s kinda early.’ But you know, it happens when you least expect it. When we hung out, we just hit it off instantly. Laughed the whole night.”

After the podcast episode was released, Owens was on the receiving end of a lot of criticism, particularly for calling himself the “catch” when Biles is a decorated Olympian.

The NFL player responded to the backlash on Instagram, posting an Instagram carousel on 21 December along with a caption addressing how he feels about the criticisms. Below photos of the couple on their wedding day and enjoying their everyday life, he wrote: “Unbothered 😂❤️ Just know we locked in over here.”

On April 22, 2023, the couple tied the knot at the Harris County Courthouse in Houston, and a few weeks later, they hosted family and friends at a lavish second wedding ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in