Simone Biles says husband Jonathan Owens' attendance at her 2024 season debut was 'a huge thing for him' (2024)

Simone Biles came out on top at her first gymnastics meet of the season, and her husband was there to see it all.

The Chicago Bears safety was seen proudly cheering on his Olympics gold medalist wife from the stands, rising to his feet following her stellar vault performance.

When asked about her husband’s presence at the meet, Biles told NBC News, “I think this one was a huge thing for him because he hasn’t been in a while.”

“But to hear those girls scream as loud as the fans in the football field, I think it’s something new,” she continued, laughing. “So it’s really exciting to be in both atmospheres.”

Biles took home the win at the Core Hydration Classic, which also showcased fellow Olympians Suni Lee and Gabby Douglas. The 37-time world and Olympic medalist received a 14.550 on the balance beam and a 15.600 on the vault, the highest score of the night. She also performed an impressive floor routine, featuring a triple-twisting double salto.

After receiving a 14.550 on the uneven bars, Biles was awarded the all-around title at the meet.

Along with following her historic gymnastics career, fans have also been invested in Biles' personal life with husband Owens.

The Olympic star and the NFL player started dating at the start of the pandemic in 2020, andtied the knot on April 22, 2023.

They were in a long-distance relationship since shortly after their wedding in Cabo, Mexico, the 27-year-old gymnast said on TODAY Sept. 7, 2023.

“Unfortunately, we’re actually long-distance and we started long-distance like less than a week (after) we married,” she said.

She said her and Owens were newlyweds when he originally signed with the Green Bay Packers and moved to Wisconsin to join the team.

“So, it’s been different,” she said. “But at least we’re both busy and focusing on our respective sports, so it’s been nice and we cherish the moments that we get together.”

Owens was drafted to the Bears in March, signing at two-year contract with the team. Read on to learn more about Biles and Owens' relationship.

March 2020: Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens meet

In March 2020, just as the world was going into COVID-19 lockdown and Biles was gearing up for the Tokyo Summer Olympics that would eventually be postponed to 2021, Biles and Owens exchanged messages on a dating app.

"He would say I slid into his DMs," she told WSJ. Magazine. "I saw him and I was like, ‘Oh, he’s pretty cute,’ so I said hi…and then I saw that he was in the Houston area, so we started chatting a little bit, and then we went to hang out a week or two later."

Owens told Texas Monthly in 2021 that he didn't know who Biles was when he first saw her on the dating app. He told the story again this year on the "Pivot" podcast, saying: "She pops up and I’m like, ‘Let me see who this is’ ... I had never really paid attention to gymnastics, so it piqued my curiosity." (Fans on social media later criticized him.)

August 2020: Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens went Instagram official

Biles and Owens posted their first Instagram selfie on Aug. 2, 2020, marking a "hard launch" of their relationship. "It's just us," Biles captioned the pic.

June 2021: For the first time, Jonathan Owens watches Simone Biles compete

Owens was the best cheerleader watching Biles compete at the U.S. Gymnastics Championship, where she earned her seventh title, in June 2021.

"What an amazing experience," Owens wrote on Instagram at the time. "First time getting to watch you compete in person and you didn’t disappoint. It’s so cool that I get to watch you do what you love, and be the best at that!! I’m so proud of you my lil champ. Trials up next and you already know I’m there!! Love you baby."

February 2022: Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens get engaged

A day after Valentine's Day in 2022, Owens popped the question to Biles in a moment captured in loving photos later shared to Instagram.

“THE EASIEST YES,” Biles wrote in a caption. “I can’t wait to spend forever & ever with you, you’re everything I dreamed of and more! let’s get married FIANCÉ.”

February 2022: Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens reveal when they fell for each other

Biles and Owens appeared together on TODAY just after their engagement and recalled when they fell in love.

"We clicked really really well in the beginning because we’re athletes and we have the same busy schedules," Biles said. "But other than that, since it was kind of a COVID relationship. We’re with each other 24/7, so I feel like now when we’re not with each other it’s almost weird. We’re always texting or calling each other. It’s kind of gross in a way."

"We just kind of started hanging out more and more and you start to want to see a person … I started to want to see her more," Owens added.

April 2023: Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens get married

Biles and Owens got married in an intimate courthouse ceremony in Houston a week afterobtaining their marriage license. They confirmed their nuptials with sweet photos on Instagram.

Biles is seen in a lovely tulle dress with big bouquet of white flowers, while Owens dons a sand-colored suit with spiffy white loafers.

"I do 🤍 officially owens," the gymnast captioned her post.

May 2023: Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens have a larger wedding in Cabo

A month after formally marrying in Houston, the two exchanged vows again during a destination wedding in Mexico.

Vogue posted footage from the ceremony in Cabo San Lucas with nearly 150 guests in attendance. Biles also posted photos of her own to her Instagram story, including pictures from the morning of her wedding day, in which she donned a white satin PJ set trimmed with feathers.

June 2023: Biles and Owens celebrate their one-month anniversary

The happy couple celebrated their one-month wedding anniversary on June 6 by posting a photo onInstagram. Biles wrote in the caption, “One month into forever loving you.”

December 2023: Owens receives backlash for suggesting he was "the catch" in his marriage

During a December 2023 appearanceon “The Pivot” podcast, Owens talked about his relationship with Biles and said he initially didn’t know who the professional gymnast was when they first started dating.

In the interview, Owens revealed they actually met on the dating app Raya back in 2020.

“I had never really paid attention to gymnastics,” he explained.

While talking about his relationship with Biles, Owens then implied that he was "the catch" in their relationship.

"I always say the men are the catch," he said.

Shortly after the interview was shared online, Owens started to receive backlash from Biles' fan base.

One person said, “You’d better be giving that woman a sincere apology because that interview you just did was absolutely disgusting."

Another wrote, “Your wife is a world renowned athlete with millions of fans, she is a beautiful electric woman who deserves a man who is going to love her, hype her up, and never be jealous of her and her amazing career."

A third added, "I didn’t know of you until Simone Biles posted you sir."

December 2023: Simone Biles says she and husband Jonathan Owens fight over who’s the better athlete

In December 2023, Biles appeared on Peaco*ck’s “2023 Back That Year Up” with Kenan Thompson and Kevin Hart and spoke about her big year in gymnastics. In August 2023, Biles competed for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics and has been eyeing the upcoming 2024 Games that will take place in Paris.

Asked by Thompson who she believes to be the better athlete between her and Owens, who plays for the Green Bay Packers, she replied: “I think we’re good at our own sports. We’ve tried to pin each other against on, like, difficulty, ability and all of that stuff. So at the end of the day, gymnastics is harder, if he agrees or not.”

Thompson replied, “That’s a nice politician answer, but here’s the truth: I know your name.”

“We fought over it a couple times,” she added, “and then we bowed once we got married. We wouldn’t talk about it again, but it keeps coming up every time. But he has done my workout in the gym, and he can barely do it. And I went to their NFL workout and I crushed it.”

Biles laughed as Hart quipped, “A lot of upper cuts being thrown.”

April 17, 2024: Simone Biles addresses comments about Jonathan Owens' viral interview

On April 17, Biles appeared on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast and addressed the viral comments her husband made in December 2023 when he seemingly implied that he was “the catch” in their relationship and said he didn’t know who Biles was when they first got together.

“So, whenever he did that interview, I thought everything was OK. And then I go on Twitter, and everybody’s like, divorce this man, he’s mean. I’m like, he’s the sweetest. He praises the ground that I walk on. Truly, I’ve never met a man like him,” she said.

Biles explained that she was “in the room” with Owens when he made those remarks and didn't think much of it at first. But after seeing the backlash online, Biles said she went from thinking the whole situation was “hilarious” to finding it very hurtful.

“One night, I broke down and I’m like, why are you guys talking about my husband like this? 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,” she said.

“So, that really hurt that they were talking about my husband like that because for me, it’s like, talk about me all you want, but don’t come from my family. Never,” Biles added.

April 25, 2024: Simone Biles claps back at naysayers of her relationship with Jonathan Owens

In a TikTok posted April 25, Biles seemingly responded to the online scrutiny about her marriage to Owens following her appearance on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy.”

In the TikTok, which had phrases like “Mr. Biles,” “Simone & what’s his name again,” “leave him sis,” and “still don’t know his name,” on the top of the frame, Biles followed the popular trend in which creators rip off a piece of tape set to the sound of a voice which says, “This is for your mouth. Let me know if you need a bigger piece."

Mimicking the words, the Olympic Gold medalist held up the piece of tape and pasted it on the camera lens.

In her caption, she wrote, “to all my twitter finger friends & etc.,” before adding a red lips kiss emoji and the hashtags “sorrynotsorry” and “mindyourbusiness.”