What happened between Simone Biles and the Dancing With The Stars host? Everything you need to know about the on-air clash
America's most celebrated gymnast Simone Biles got into an on-air scuffle with show host Tom Bergeron during her appearance on the 24th season of Dancing With The Stars in 2017.
During the gymnast's Paso Double performance, along with her partner Sasha Farber, she received negative feedback from two of the three judges. Only Ann Carrie, the third judge, applauded the pair. Responding to Biles' facial expression, Bergeron said:
"I was waiting for you to smile at some of the compliments. You didn't."
To which Biles replied:
"Smiling doesn't win you gold medals."
Bergeron hosted the show from 2005 to 2019 and appeared in Cheryl Burke's Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans earlier this week. He admitted it was the only time he spoke without contemplating.
The former host stated that he heard the producer through his earpiece observing Biles not smiling at Carrie's compliment and so he went with his last thought. He said (h/t the Independent):
"I was so properly put in my place. So instead of saying, 'Simone, what's your reaction to the judges’ comments? Now, Carrie Ann was complimentary and the other two less so.' Instead of saying that, I had that last thought from [the producer] in my head, and I went, 'I noticed you didn't smile.
"Now what woman wants to hear a guy say, ‘Hey, sweetheart, smile! The moment it came out of my mouth, I thought, 'Oh, you [idiot].'"
Biles designed a t-shirt with her response and posed with the host. Bergeron shared this picture on his social media handle before Biles left for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
"I stood next to her looking very sheepish while she wore that wonderful shirt, and we put that on social media and everything," Bergeron remembered. "But that was one time when I wished I had taken a beat, translated what I heard in my ear, and put it in my own words," he expressed.
Biles had to settle for fourth place on DWTS.
Simone Biles reminisces about the waffles from Belgium
Simone Biles had a great time at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, both on and off the gymnastics center.
Biles won her sixth all-around world title. She won five medals including four gold and one silver medal. Apart from her remarkable achievement in Belgium, she had a great time savoring the city's experience which can be seen from her recent Instagram posts.
Simone Biles even shared that she was missing the waffles she had in Belgium.
"Still dreaming about the Waffles from belgium.
Further, when a fan asked which waffles she preferred the most, she wrote,
"Liege" and added three drooling face emojis.