Four months after Jonathan Owens said he “didn’t know” who Simone Biles was when they started dating and talked about being “the catch” in a viral interview, the Olympian shared her reaction

Simone Biles is going to the mat for husband Jonathan Owens. Nearly four months after the football player’s viral interview, the Olympian shared her reaction to the public criticism and people calling for her to divorce him.

“I thought it was hilarious at first, and then they hurt my feelings,” Simone said on the April 17 episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast. “And then one night, I broke down and I’m like, ‘Why are you guys talking about my husband like this? Like, you don’t know him. You don’t know who he is. And if anybody’s met him, they know he’s the sweetest guy and will do anything for anybody.'”

And ultimately, the gymnast thought some of the online comments went too far. “That really hurt that they were talking about my husband like that,” she continued. “Because for me, it’s like, ‘Talk about me all you want, but don’t come for my family—never.’ Because I’ve been in the limelight long enough where I can brush things off, have my little powwow about it. You’re not going to know I cried about it, but I be crying about some stuff. But I only cry about it because I can’t clap back. Just know that.”

Back in December, Jonathan appeared on The Pivot Podcast and said he “didn’t know” who Simone was when they first connected on a dating app. And when host Ryan Clark said, “You was really the catch,” the Chicago Bears defensive back replied, “I always say the man the catch.” Looking back at that moment, Simone recalled being in the room for Jonathan’s interview.

“I was feeling great,” she told Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper. “I was like, ‘My man just killed that.'” But then she read the social media reactions. “Whenever he did that interview, I thought everything was OK,” the gold medalist added. “And then I go on Twitter and everybody’s like, ‘Divorce this man! He’s mean!’ And I’m like, ‘He’s the sweetest. He praises the ground that I walk on.’ Like truly, I’ve never met a man like him.”

Simone then shared her take on why she felt people were upset about the interview. “First of all, that interview had nothing to do with me,” she noted. “It was all for him. So I think they were mad that he didn’t include me in the interview. But he has to have his moments too, and I let him have it.”

The 27-year-old also said Ryan was the one to bring up the “catch” comment. “By the way, he said it, but Ryan Clark said it so many times,” she shared. “Like, ‘Yeah, so you’re saying…’ It was kinda hyped up. You know boys, whatever, those conversations. They’re drinking their little tequila, whatever it is. So I think that was the thing. If it was that girls’ moment, it’s just different.

That was like their fireside chat that they’re outside, hanging with the boys, whatever. There was nothing foul about it.”
This isn’t the first time Simone—who wed Jonathan last year—has weighed in on the incident. In December, she appeared to address the social media comments by tweeting to her followers, “Are y’all done yet?”

Meanwhile, Jonathan seemed to suggest the remarks weren’t going to bring him down. “Unbothered,” the 28-year-old captioned an Instagram photo of the couple. “Just know we locked in over here.” And if you needed any further proof that Simone is indeed the GOAT, keep reading for her medal-worthy moments…