Simone Biles appears to have been blocked on social media by her former USA Gymnastics teammate MyKayla Skinner amid their growing online feud. The conflict started when Skinner criticized the USA Gymnastics Olympic roster, saying in a now-deleted YouTube video that, "besides Simone' the "girls just don't have the work ethic" or "talent."
After winning team gold at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, Biles responded to Skinner on Instagram, posting: "lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions." Now, as Biles hinted on X, she no longer has access to Skinner's social media posts, noting, "oop I've been blocked." Needless to say, the war of words between the two is getting uglier.
As Dirty as It Gets
To eliminate any doubt, Biles' current teammate Jordan Chiles posted a photo online of Skinner's blank Instagram page displayed on a mobile phone. Chiles clarified the situation with a caption: "When she blocks Simone."
Biles isn't the only current or former Team USA member making mockery of Skinner following Tuesday's gold medal win. USA gymnastics icon McKayla Maroney has also joined the ongoing feud.
In response to Biles' post, Maroney commented on Instagram, "It doesn't get more iconic than this," adding, "[Skinner] f'd around and found out fr."
Maroney further joked about sharing a name with Skinner, saying, "Feels like I need to apologize just to redeem my first name."
Skinner, who won a silver medal on the vault at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has faced criticism for her remarks about her former teammates. "Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn't like what it used to be," the 27-year-old said on YouTube.
Skinner continued, "The girls just don't have the work ethic," and went on to reference the US Center for SafeSport—a non-profit organization founded to address and reduce sexual and emotional abuse of athletes in US Olympic sports.
"And it's hard too because of SafeSport. Like, coaches can't get on athletes and they have to be really careful what they say," Skinner said.
"Which, in some ways, is really good. But at the same time, to get to where you need to be in gymnastics you do have to be, I feel like, a little aggressive and a little intense."
Fight of the Stars
In response, Biles hit back at Skinner on Threads, writing, "Not everyone needs a mic and a platform." Skinner later issued an apology.
"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. It was not my intention to offend or disrespect any of the athletes or to take away from their hard work," Skinner's apology from July 6 read.
She continued, "Upon reflection I was comparing the 'Marta [Karolyi] era' to the current era.
"I am coming to terms that I have not fully dealt with the emotional and verbal abuse I endured under Marta that perhaps led to my hurtful comments. I take full responsibility for what I said and I deeply apologize."
In her apology, Skinner concluded by wishing the gymnasts luck in Paris and stated, "I'll be cheering you all on!"
Both Biles and Skinner have represented Team USA in various competitions, including the 2020 Olympic Games.
