Olympic gymnast Simone Biles has seemingly deleted her X account after becoming embroiled in a very public—and very bitter—war of words with former swimmer turned political activist Riley Gaines over the eligibility of transgender women competing in women’s sports.
Biles, 28, and Gaines, 25, first began their online feud on June 6, when the latter spoke out to criticize a Minnesota high school women’s softball team’s victory in the state championships—claiming that the win was “to be expected when your star player is a boy.”
The X post prompted fury from Biles, who hit back at the former swimmer, branding her “truly sick” and a “straight up sore loser,” accusing her of “bullying” trans athletes.
Biles later apologized for her comments, admitting that she shouldn’t have gotten “personal” with Gaines, before deleting her X account altogether in an apparent attempt to withdraw from the ongoing backlash she faced over her criticism of her fellow athlete.
Addressing Biles’ disappearance from X, Gaines wrote that it was “sad to see such a phenom go down like this,” accusing the gymnastics legend of trying to “pretend it never happened.”
(@simone_biles/X)
(simonebiles/Instagram:rileygbarker/Instagram)
(Instagram / Simone Biles)
Despite deleting her X account, Biles’ other social media profiles—including Instagram and TikTok—are still active, although she has not posted on either since the feud erupted.
Her most recent post on Instagram featured an ad for her hit Netflix documentary, “Simone Biles Rising,” which recently won two Critics Choice Documentary Awards: best sports documentary and best limited documentary series.
Typically, Biles has used her Instagram account to share small snippets of her personal life with fans—revealing just a few weeks ago that she and her husband, Jonathan Owens, had found themselves a new home in Chicago, where the NFL player is set to start his second season with the Chicago Bears later this year.
In a post shared on her Instagram Stories, Biles—who owns two properties in Texas—revealed that the couple was busy shopping for new cars for their Chicago dwelling, although she revealed no other details about the property itself.
“Looking at cars today for our Chicago home,” she wrote over an image of the inside of a Porsche showroom.
Although Biles and Owens, who signed a two-year contract with the Bears in 2024, were shopping for vehicles for the Windy City, the image was actually taken inside a Porsche dealership in Houston, just a short drive from their permanent residence in Spring, TX.
It’s thought that Biles and her partner will reside in their Chicago property during the NFL season, which will kick off with the Bears official training camp toward the end of July.
(Instagram/Simone Biles)
(rileygbarker/Instagram)
Though Biles has not yet revealed whether she plans to move to Chicago full-time while her spouse competes for the Bears, she has traditionally attended a large number of his games during the season, regularly appearing on the sidelines in some kind of custom Owens merch.
However, it may be that the sporting sensation wants to soak up as much time as she can at the couple’s custom-built Texas abode, which has been under construction for several years now.
The gymnast has shared numerous updates on the progress of the home on her Instagram account, revealing glimpses inside the opulent property, which looks set to offer an extraordinary array of amenities.
In October, Biles revealed that the dwelling was nearing completion, showing off several of the stunning interior decor touches that had been installed, including a dramatic black-and-white marble backsplash in the kitchen and some quirky patterned tiling in the laundry room.
Outside, her images captured the newly built swimming pool, which overlooks the lake and features a lavish spa.
The photos revealed that the swimming pool’s foundation had been laid, the structure was almost complete, and it just needed an overhaul of the surrounding space—as well as some water to fill it with.
(Instagram/Simone Biles)
(Instagram / Simone Biles)
However, the home also has a number of other amenities not featured in Biles’ Instagram update, including a home theater and a wet bar as well as an expansive balcony that overlooks the lake.
The home has also been shown on the Netflix series “Simone Biles Rising,” which documented her return to the sport after she withdrew from the 2020 Olympics.
In the series, Biles and Owens are seen checking in on progress at their home, with the former admitting it felt “surreal” to see it come to life.
Now, it seems the dynamic duo is preparing for yet another major move—this time to Chicago, where Owens will begin training camp at the end of July.
The pair will leave behind not only their custom-built Spring home, but also a second Texas dwelling where they were living while their new abode was being finished.
That home was purchased by Biles in 2020 for an undisclosed amount and is located just a short distance from her childhood home, where she lived with her grandparents, Nellie and Ronald, who she refers to as her mother and father.