MyKayla Skinner reacts to controversy after Simone Biles' Instagram post (Image Source: Left - @mykaylaskinner2016 on Instagram, Right - Getty)

"I'm heartbroken over it"- MyKayla Skinner claims she has received 'death threats' since Simone Biles' viral Instagram caption

Modified Aug 06, 2024 17:05 GMT

MyKayla Skinner has been at the center of one of the biggest controversies of the gymnastics world, having questioned the work ethic of the Team USA gymnasts ahead of the Paris Olympics. The comments led to a torrent of criticism, and the Tokyo silver-medalist recently shared a plea on social media for the hate to be put to an end.

The controversy began in late June, when Skinner released a YouTube video dissecting the performances at the U.S Olympic Gymnastics Trials, and giving her opinion on the athletes heading to the Olympics.

In the now-deleted video, she criticized members of the team, outside of Simone Biles, saying:

"Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t what it used to be. I mean, obviously, a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic. A lot of girls don't work as hard.”

MyKayla Skinner's comments upset many fans, as well as gymnasts, with the likes of Simone Biles and Dominique Moceanu all speaking out against her. Skinner later apologized for her comments, and for a while the matter was closed.

However, after the US stormed to the team all-around gold at the Paris Olympics, Biles took to her Instagram to share photos from the win, with the caption:

“Lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions.”

This caused a revival of the controversy and criticism of MyKayla Skinner, and she has now taken to her Instagram to address the issue at hand. In a lengthy video, she started out by asking for the hate to stop, saying:

"I sincerely hoped that this topic wouldn't need to be revisited, but unfortunately things have really gotten out of hand lately and it's one thing to disagree with me about something I have said or a point I was trying to make, but it's something else entirely when that turns into cyberbullying or even worse. Watching people cheer on the bullying which has led to threats of physical harm to me, my husband, and our daughter is disgusting. So please, at this point I am just asking for it to just stop for the sake of my family, enough is enough.”

MyKayla Skinner went on to add that she spoke to Biles via text message after her initial comments, and was surprised that the controversy has been revived again post her apologies.

“I sent individual messages to each of the women on the team. Only Simone had responded, and she told me that she was proud of me. So, you guys can imagine my surprise last week when I was celebrating our team winning gold just to see this brought up all over again by a caption on an Instagram post.”

“If Simone truly believes that I called our team lazy, and lacking talent, and that's really how she feels then I am really heartbroken over it. Not just heartbroken because it isn't how I feel or it isn't what I previously said, but because Simone’s latest post and others that followed fueled another wave of hateful comments, dms, articles, emails. Hate that includes death threats to me, my family, even my agent.”

Jordan Chiles said MyKayla Skinner has blocked Simone Biles on social media

Meanwhile, in the middle of the ongoing controversy between MyKayla Skinner and Simone Biles, the former seemingly blocked the Olympic champion on her Instagram.

Biles originally hinted at the news with a post on X that read:

“Oop I've been blocked”.

The American's teammate, Jordan Chiles, later confirmed on her Instagram story that the post was about Skinner, writing with a picture of the 26-year-old's phone:

“When she blocks Simone.”

Simone Biles is yet to respond to MyKayla Skinner's latest video, and it will be interesting to see how the discussion develops from here.