Jun 6, 2021; Fort Worth, TX, USA; (from left) USA gymnast MyKayla Skinner and USA gymnast Simone Biles and USA gymnast Jordan Chiles pose for a photo after the US Championships at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
By Ben Axelrod on

Simone Biles made headlines on Tuesday when she officially became the most decorated United States Olympic gymnast in history.

And she continued to make headlines on Wednesday, as she furthered her ongoing social media feud with her former teammate, MyKayla Skinner.

Confused why Biles spent her history-making accomplishment with a social media post sarcastically downplaying her own team’s talent? You’re likely not alone. With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about the ongoing war of words between Biles and Skinner.

How did it start?

The ongoing issue between Biles and Skinner appears to date back to comments that the latter made in a YouTube video following the official selection of Team USA’s roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics in June.

“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be,” Skinner, who retired after winning silver medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (which were held in 2021), said. “I just notice like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.”

While Skinner’s overarching criticism was directed toward the U.S. Center for SafeSport, which she thinks is hindering coaches from doing their jobs, many understandably took issue with comments that implied that this year’s iteration of Team USA lacks talent and work ethic. Skinner initially claimed in a video posted to her Instagram stories that she had been “misinterpreted or misunderstood” before posting a more heartfelt apology on X.

How did Biles respond?

As the leader of Team USA and a living legend in the gymnastics community, it didn’t take Biles long to react to Skinner’s criticism of her teammates.

“not everyone needs a mic and a platform,” the 27-year-old wrote in a post on Threads.

And that seemed to settle that. Only it absolutely didn’t.

After Team USA captured the gold medal in the team event on Tuesday, Biles took the opportunity to throw Skinner’s comments back in her face.

“lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions,” Biles captioned an Instagram post of her and her teammates celebrating their gold medals.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Simone Biles (@simonebiles)

“put a finger down if simone biles just ended you,” fellow Team USA member Sunisa Lee replied in a comment.

And in case there was (somehow) any question who Biles’ caption was aimed at, former U.S. gymnastics gold medalist/meme maker McKayla Maroney replied: “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.”

Where does the feud stand now?

Skinner, for her part, has remained mum on the feud — in fact, her most recent post on X was her apology, which she posted on July 6. She did, however, repost a picture of Team USA celebrating its gold medal victory to her Instagram stories, along with a trio of heart emojis.

That’s not to say that her and Biles are now on good terms — in fact, Biles took to X on Wednesday to reveal she had been blocked by Skinner on social media. While while her post didn’t mention Skinner specifically by name, a subsequent post from teammate Jordan Chiles confirmed that’s who she was referencing.

As the cliché goes, to the victor goes the spoils. And unfortunately for Skinner, Biles and Team USA are currently enjoying plenty of spoils, some of which have come at her expense.

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

View all posts by Ben Axelrod