MyKayla Skinner Says Simone Biles “Belittled” Her, Defends Riley Gaines
MyKayla Skinner says she stayed quiet for years. Now, she’s done staying silent.
The retired Olympic gymnast issued a blunt statement accusing Simone Biles of bullying, days after Biles lashed out at swimmer Riley Gaines over her stance on transgender athletes in women’s sports.
“Throughout my own career, I endured being belittled, dismissed and ostracized behind the scenes by Simone,” Skinner said in a statement to One America News. “The pressure to stay silent was immense. I kept quiet out of respect — for the sport, for my teammates, and for the ideal of unity among athletes. But witnessing this kind of public shaming, especially from someone in a position of influence, makes that silence no longer acceptable.”
Skinner was pointing to Biles’ viral posts on X, where she publicly went after Gaines. Gaines commented on a Minnesota softball team’s trans player, writing, “Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy.”
Biles responded, “@Riley_Gaines_ You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight-up sore loser.” She went on to say, “You bully them … One thing’s for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!”
That moment sparked a wave of backlash from women and fellow athletes like Skinner.
“As an athlete who has dedicated years to a sport, I’ve always believed that true competition should elevate us — not diminish others,” Skinner said. “That’s why it’s deeply troubling to see @Simone_Biles publicly label a fellow female athlete a ‘sore loser’ — simply for expressing valid concerns about fairness in women’s sports.”
Skinner also praised Gaines for refusing to back down. “I commend and appreciate @Riley_Gaines_ for having the courage to speak up. Women like her are not only standing for fairness, but for the future of female athletics itself. She deserves support — not ridicule.”
She continued, “It’s one thing to disagree. It’s another to use your platform to bully and demean. No one should be punished for standing up for fairness and biological reality. We should be lifting each other up — not tearing one another down for speaking hard truths.”
Simone Biles has since walked back her earlier statements. “It didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for,” she posted on June 10. She added that the current system “doesn’t adequately balance” inclusion and fairness in sports, and said the situation is made worse by “frustration and heated exchanges.”
But for Skinner, the apology isn’t enough to forget what she says happened off camera.
Biles has yet to respond publicly to Skinner’s accusations.
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