If you thought the world of gymnastics was all glitter and gold medals, think again. The drama off the mat is almost as intense as the flips and tricks on it. The latest tea? Simone Biles, the GOAT herself, just clapped back at fellow gymnast MyKayla Skinner, and I don’t know about you, but if Simone were to ever come for me, I’d probably hide under a rock and never come out.
What Did MyKayla Skinner Say?
In a now-deleted YouTube video (ah, MyKayla when will you learn that the internet is forever?), the former Olympic alternate had some thoughts about the current state of gymnastics and, specifically, Team USA. According to MyKayla, the team’s talent level just isn’t what it used to be. She said — brace yourself — that aside from Simone, “the girls just don’t have the work ethic” that gymnasts from her era did. She even went so far as to blame SafeSport, the organization set up to protect athletes, for making it harder for coaches to “get on athletes” like they used to back in the not-so-good old days of sports. AKA, she’s saying the abusive tactics that were used in sports before SafeSport came into play are keeping the gymnasts from being great. Sheesh.
The internet and her former teammates were quick to react, with the entire current Team USA roster — Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera — hitting the unfollow button on her Instagram. Oof. It seems like MyKayla might have underestimated the strength of a unified gymnastics team.
What Was Simone Biles’ Response To MyKayla?
Simone, who’s not just the queen of the mat but also of shade, took to Instagram to celebrate Team USA’s latest win at the women’s gymnastics team final. Alongside a picture of the squad proudly flaunting their gold medals, Simone’s caption was dripping with shade: “Lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions.” I’m really living for this drama.
It didn’t stop there. The legendary McKayla Maroney (you know, the one whose unimpressed face became a meme sensation) even hopped in the comments to throw in her two cents, writing, “It doesn’t get more iconic than this. She f’d around n found out fr. Feels like I need to apologize just to redeem my first name.” I mean, if you’ve got McKayla Maroney on your side, you know you’ve won the clapback Olympics.
OH MY GOD MCKAYLA 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/1ZJHXEAmAY
— jade (@mccuskerights) July 31, 2024
As for MyKayla Skinner’s response? She’s since issued an apology, claiming her words were “misinterpreted or misunderstood,” which is basically the PR equivalent of, “Oops, my bad.”
Update: MyKayla Skinner Appears To Have Blocked Simone Biles
Apparently, Simone’s Instagram post pushed MyKayla over the edge, since Jordan posted a story on Instagram of Simone’s phone, showing that MyKayla had blocked her. If I didn’t care about sports, before, I definitely do now.
So, what’s the lesson here? Don’t mess with Simone Biles or her gymnastics family unless you’re ready to catch a gold-medal-level comeback. But if you do… even an Instagram block won’t stop the shade from coming after.
