Simone Biles, one of the most decorated gymnasts in Olympic history, is now facing a public and personal reckoning—not over her athletic performance, but over her conduct toward former teammate MyKayla Skinner and her response to the growing national debate over fairness in women’s sports.
In a candid and emotionally charged interview on The Will Cain Show, MyKayla Skinner alleged that Biles had bullied and belittled her and others throughout their time on Team USA, spanning three Olympic cycles. Skinner explained her decision to speak up was motivated not only by personal experiences, but also by Biles’ recent public attacks on women’s rights advocate Riley Gaines.
“There have been many times when I have been belittled and bullied by Simone… through my Olympic journey, through camps, training,” Skinner said. “I’ve wanted to stay silent through this because she has a huge platform.”
Skinner expressed her support for Gaines, who has been a prominent voice calling to preserve fairness in women’s sports by opposing the inclusion of biological males in female competitions. Gaines recently found herself in Biles’ crosshairs after advocating for such protections, prompting Biles to accuse her of promoting “hate”—an accusation Biles later walked back in a tepid social media apology.
Skinner described a long history of exclusion, both during and after her elite gymnastics career. She recounted an episode from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021) where she became the target of online bullying following a brief YouTube commentary video about the Olympic trials. According to Skinner, a short clip of her video was twisted out of context, went viral, and led to waves of online harassment—targeting not only her, but also her publicist, family, and even her young daughter.
“I had reached out to Simone personally and got no response,” Skinner said. “No response from the girls either.”
When pressed by Cain about their time as teammates, Skinner confirmed the incidents of belittling extended back to when they shared competition floors. Though she did not detail specific confrontations, she characterized the treatment from Biles as frequent and emotionally difficult.
This controversy arrives at a moment when Biles has positioned herself as a champion for women’s empowerment and athlete welfare. But Skinner’s allegations, if substantiated, point to a pattern of silence, deflection, and personal hostility that contrasts sharply with that public image.
The incident also illustrates the deepening divide over transgender inclusion in sports, where lines between fairness and identity have increasingly polarized athletes. While Biles has suggested that restricting transgender women from competing in women’s events is discriminatory, Skinner and Gaines argue that such policies protect the integrity of female competition.
