When Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles introduced her new boyfriend, professional football player Jonathan Owens, everyone was thrilled for her. But soon after, more details about their relationship surfaced online, leaving many people wondering if Jonathan is truly the right match for Simone. Today, we’re diving deep into their romance to uncover why some believe this relationship is destined for trouble. But before we get into that, don’t forget to grab a snack from RRGsnacks.com, our online concession stand featuring a variety of treats like Applewood smoked bacon jerky, freeze-dried goodies, and butter toffee peanuts.
Simone has dedicated her life to gymnastics, and by her 20th birthday on March 14th, 2017, she had yet to experience a serious relationship. She told Entertainment Tonight, “I have never had a boyfriend in my life. At 20 years old, I feel like you should have gone through those things and gone on dates. I have been on maybe one proper date.” When asked how the date went, Simone said it ended with a kiss. The identity of this mystery man remains unknown, but in the summer of 2017, her grandmother hired a guy named Stacy Irvin to be her personal trainer. Stacy, an amateur gymnast at the time, eventually met Simone, and they hit it off and started dating. She told People magazine that due to their demanding careers, they were realistic about the time they could spend together. She added, “We already know in each other’s lives we don’t come first, and that’s okay with both of us. So we do what we need to do and then we come together. It’s fine.”
In December 2019, Simone had the exciting opportunity to lead her hometown team, the Houston Texans, out of the tunnel during a game. Afterward, she posed for a photo on the field with a guy standing behind her. They didn’t interact and simply went their separate ways.
Simone and her partner Stacy were doing well until the pandemic began. Simone shared that after nearly three years of dating, they decided to break up in March 2020. She spoke about how tough it was to end a long-term relationship, but ultimately felt it was for the best. “It always is, girl, it always is. Let them go,” she said.
The same month she and Stacy broke up, a friend encouraged her to join Raya, an exclusive dating app. So, after a three-year relationship ended, she was already on a dating site. That’s my kind of girl. Auntie always says the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. She found a guy’s profile that caught her interest and swiped right. It turns out she has a type. The guy noticed her swipe, checked out her profile, and saw that Simone was a gymnast, though he didn’t recognize her. He swiped back to show his interest and then headed to the gym. When he checked his phone later, he saw that Simone had liked a bunch of his photos on Instagram. What a bold move, girl. But remember, don’t let him know how eager you are. Keep the chase alive!
On The Pivot podcast, Jonathan Owens shared a story about how he met Simone Biles. He mentioned that he decided to wait a bit before responding to her message. After taking a shower, he noticed that Simone had already messaged him on the app. By waiting, he ended up reversing the roles—she became the one pursuing him.
Simone told The Wall Street Journal, “I saw him and thought, ‘Oh, he’s pretty cute,’ so I said ‘Hi.’ Then I noticed he was in the Houston area, so we started chatting a little bit.” That cute guy turned out to be Jonathan Owens, a St. Louis native who went undrafted before being signed by the Arizona Cardinals as a college free agent in April 2018. He played as a safety but was waived less than a year later and signed to the Houston Texans’ practice squad. His career had its ups and downs, marked by brief promotions and returns to the practice squad.
Jonathan mentioned on The Pivot podcast that if Simone hadn’t messaged him first, he might have forgotten about her. When the host suggested Jonathan was the prize in the relationship, he didn’t disagree, saying, “So you were really the catch? I always say, ‘We’re the man, the catch.’ I always say, ‘We’re the catch.'”
Jonathan has consistently told media outlets, including Texas Monthly, that he didn’t know who Simone was before they met. He explained that he was too busy with college and NFL training camps to keep up with gymnastics. “I didn’t know who she was at the time, I promise you.”
It’s hard to believe that someone wouldn’t recognize the most decorated gymnast in the world. Simone Biles is one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. Everyone knows who Simone Biles is, except, apparently, Jonathan Owens. We know she’s not very tall, but it’s hard to believe he didn’t recognize her name or picture on the Jumbotron at the stadium. A year later, she’s in your DMs, and you’re saying you didn’t know who she was? Come on, that’s a tough story to sell.
Online users, known as CAP, dug through Jonathan’s Twitter account and found old tweets from 2012 where he was watching gymnastics and making comments about Gabby Douglas. Fans connected the dots: if he knew who Gabby was, he definitely knew who Simone was. In other words, they called him a liar. “Boom, I knew he was lying,” someone remarked. “You’re not fooling Auntie!”
Despite this, after a few days of exchanging messages, Simone made the 45-minute drive to Jonathan’s place in Houston. “God, she’s trying to raise my blood pressure,” another user commented. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop chasing these men? How are you supposed to know if a man is interested if you’re always the one pursuing him, wasting your gas on someone who can’t keep a job?”
From there, they kept in touch, chatting and flirting on FaceTime for a couple of weeks. During one FaceTime session, Simone’s sister grabbed the phone and invited Jonathan to join them on a trip to a lake house. Jonathan agreed and brought his English Bulldog to play with Simone’s French Bulldog. After that, Jonathan was invited to the Biles family’s Sunday dinners.
He told The Pivot podcast that he was initially afraid to commit because it was only his third year in the league, and he felt it was too early to be tied down. But since they hit it off so quickly, he decided to make things official. “See, there’s that nuance again,” a fan pointed out. “If you listen closely, he’s basically saying, ‘I might make it big and find someone better than Simone.’”
Jonathan’s entire interview with The Pivot podcast bothered many people. It seemed like Simone was chasing him at the start of their relationship, and Jonathan didn’t seem that into her. Online users begged Simone to remember that she was the prize and the star in their relationship, urging her to drop him. She later appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast and said she found the outrage hilarious at first but eventually broke down because hearing people talk about Jonathan so negatively hurt her feelings.
They went Instagram official a few months after meeting. Jonathan told Texas Monthly that the pandemic played a crucial role in their relationship because the world had slowed down, giving them plenty of time to get to know each other. He called their relationship a match made in heaven, saying, “There’s no better person for me. She loves me, she’s so affectionate. I just love that.”
But do you love her? It sounds like you’re more focused on how she makes you feel. Is the feeling mutual? What do you do for her, Jonathan?
On The Today Show, Jonathan mentioned he knew their relationship was special by the way his dog, Zeus, reacted to her. But dogs like everyone! How does Simone make you feel? We haven’t heard about your feelings for her. I’m waiting for some real romance, something heartfelt. How much do you love Simone? How do you truly feel about her? I’m all ears.
Simone shared with The Today Show that she and Jonathan hit it off because their personalities matched and they shared the same sense of humor. She loved that they were both athletes and understood each other’s lives. As they spent more time together, their bond grew, leading them to move in together in 2021.
They celebrated their first anniversary as a couple, though they couldn’t be together because Simone was competing in the Tokyo Olympics. Meanwhile, Jonathan faced a rocky professional path. He was waived by the Houston Texans in August 2021, then re-signed to the practice squad. In December, he landed a two-year, $1.1 million contract, but by January 2022, he was placed on injured reserve due to a dislocated wrist.
Despite his career challenges, their relationship was strong. They got engaged on Valentine’s Day 2022 and started building a house together in Texas in March 2023. They married in a private ceremony in April 2023 and had a destination wedding in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, the next month. Their honeymoon was cut short when Jonathan received a call from the Green Bay Packers to sign a one-year contract. Simone joined him in Wisconsin for the signing. After one season, Jonathan moved to the Chicago Bears with a two-year deal.
Online, Jonathan faced harsh criticism, often being overshadowed by Simone’s fame and referred to as “Simone B’s husband.” This negativity, especially following a damaging interview on The Pivot podcast, led to hurtful comments on Simone’s social media. Frustrated, Simone addressed the issue after winning the US Classic in May 2024, posting on Instagram: “Y’all are blatantly being disrespectful to my relationship and my husband, so I’m going to go ahead and say this one time respectfully: off. If you keep commenting or tweeting at me, I’m just going to block you. Simple as that.”
No, ma’am. The same energy you’re using to confront us should be directed at him. You need to tell him, “You gave a terrible interview. Go back and fix it. We haven’t heard another statement from you. You need to make another statement and correct what you said. You should be the one to calm the storm, not her.” There’s nothing worse than a man who disparages a woman in an interview and then complains about the backlash. He probably whined about the negative comments, and now here she comes, trying to save him from the trouble he caused himself.
As of now, Simone and Jonathan are doing great with their long-distance marriage and seem happier than ever. On July 15th, 2024, it was announced that Jonathan would be skipping NFL training camp to support Simone at the Olympics. Someone online said, “He knows who’s paying the bills. Go on ahead and support the breadwinner, Jonathan.” Missing his hair? Someone’s going to bite your ankles if you keep talking about our man.
Anyway, we wish Simone and Jonathan nothing but the best. Here’s a little advice: don’t marry anyone who has less education, money, or fame than you unless they are really self-aware and have done some therapy, especially if they’re a man. Men often have issues with marrying women who outshine them because it hurts their egos. Even though it’s supposed to be a partnership and the woman loves him genuinely, he might try to downplay her accomplishments to feel better about himself. He might even undermine her publicly because she’s a public figure.
Jonathan, give Simone the recognition she deserves. Get your act together and check your ego. Simone, listen up: value yourself more than you do now.