Simone Biles Reveals That MyKayla Skinner Seemingly Blocked Her on Instagram Following Gold Medal Clapback
Biles seemed to throw shade at her former teammate on Instagram on July 30 following comments Skinner made about the women’s Olympic gymnastics team
Tim Clayton/Corbis/Getty; Donald Miralle /Sports Illustrated/Getty
It seems like Simone Biles’ message to former teammate MyKayla Skinner has been received.
Biles, 27, posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), Wednesday, July 31, that Skinner — who she competed with on Team USA during the 2020 Tokyo Games — had blocked her on Instagram. Biles wrote, “oop I’ve been blocked,” adding several emojis.
Jordan Chiles, who is on the 2024 Olympics U.S. women’s artistic gymnastics team with Biles, shared a photo of someone holding a phone on her Instagram Stories around the same time. In the 23-year-old’s shot, the phone is clicked into Skinner’s Instagram profile, which shows “no posts yet.”
Jordan Chiles/Instagram
Simone Biles’ Husband Jonathan Owens Kisses Wife as She Becomes the Most Decorated U.S. Gymnast in Olympic History
The drama dates back to June, when Skinner, 27, said in a now-deleted YouTube video that she felt the gymnasts selected for the 2024 team “don’t have the work ethic.” She added in the video, “Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be.”
Skinner then said her remarks were “misinterpreted.” In a response on her Instagram Stories on July 3, Skinner claimed that “a lot of the stuff” she talked about in the YouTube video “wasn’t always necessarily about the current team, because I love and support all the girls that made it and I’m so proud of them.”
She later issued an official statement to PEOPLE through her rep, saying in part, “I want to formally apologize to Team USA and to our gymnastic community for my comments during my recent YouTube episodes of the gymnastics Olympic trials.”
On Tuesday, July 30, Biles, Chiles and their teammates, Suni Lee, Hezly Rivera and Jade Carey, won gold in the women’s team all-around. Biles also became the most-decorated female gymnast in Olympic history.
A few hours later, Biles posted a photo of the group celebrating on Instagram, writing in the caption, “Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions ❤️🥇🇺🇸.” Many interpreted Biles’ note to be a direct clapback at Skinner.
Simone Biles Calls Dad Ronald ‘Sooo Freaking Cute’ for Using Binoculars as She and Team USA Win Olympic Gold
Skinner has not responded publicly yet to any of the renewed back-and-forth over her original comments. She did, however, post a photo of the 2024 team from the Games with several heart emojis on her Instagram Stories on July 30.
For the Tokyo Games, Skinner was a solo competitor for the U.S. and not a part of Team USA’s women’s gymnastics team. Skinner originally did not qualify for any event final in Tokyo after competing on all four apparatuses during qualification rounds. Biles then withdrew from the individual vault final as she dealt with a case of the twisties, leaving space for Skinner to compete and ultimately win a silver medal.
At the time, she and Biles appeared to be close friends, championing each other on social media.
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. And sign up for Going for Gold, our Olympics newsletter, to get the biggest stories from the Games delivered straight to your inbox. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, beginning July 26, on NBC and Peacock.
News
‘He’s an angry boy’: As Prince Harry’s faux-royal tour ends, why despite his jollity and cheeky dancing, one pal claims the Duke’s American dream ‘hasn’t turned out the way he wanted’… and shouldn’t expect an invitation when Wills takes the throne
‘He’s an angry boy’: As Prince Harry’s faux-royal tour ends, why despite his jollity and cheeky dancing, one pal claims the Duke’s American dream ‘hasn’t turned out the way he wanted’… and shouldn’t expect an invitation when Wills takes the…
“Meghan Markle Stuns in Colombia: Princess of Sussex Wows Crowd with Fluent Spanish While Prince Harry Struggles with Earpiece”
“Meghan Markle Stuns in Colombia: Princess of Sussex Wows Crowd with Fluent Spanish While Prince Harry Struggles with Earpiece” Meghan Markle showed off her ability to speak Spanish as she addressed the audience during her ‘Afro women and power’ talk in…
“It’s what I went through…”: Rob Lowe praised Taylor Swift’s fame, saying it is far more intense than what he experienced during his ’80s heyday
“It’s what I went through…”: Rob Lowe praised Taylor Swift’s fame, saying it is far more intense than what he experienced during his ’80s heyday Rob Lowe has some perspective on what Taylor Swift is going through right now. In the 1980s he…
How Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce make their long-distance relationship work – as NFL star’s secret to dating success is revealed
How Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce make their long-distance relationship work – as NFL star’s secret to dating success is revealed As Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift enter year No 2 of their relationship, finding consistent ways to make their long-distance romance survive is…
Taylor Swift shows her love for Travis Kelce at London Eras show
Taylor Swift shows her love for Travis Kelce at London Eras show Taylor Swift subtly showed her love for boyfriend, Travis Kelce, while taking the stage for her first of five performances in London at Wembley Stadium on Thursday. As she returned to…
EXCLUSIVE: Taylor Swift tearfully reveals her parents are in attendance for her second Wembley show as she performs London Boy for the FIRST TIME on her Eras Tour after a three-minute standing ovation from fans..
EXCLUSIVE: Taylor Swift tearfully reveals her parents are in attendance for her second Wembley show as she performs London Boy for the FIRST TIME on her Eras Tour after a three-minute standing ovation from fans.. Taylor Swift tearfully revealed her parents…
End of content
No more pages to load