Retired American Olympic gymnast MyKayla Skinner said she received “death threats.” Taking to her Instagram page on Tuesday (August 6), the athlete shared a plea to her former teammate Simone Biles to end the cyberbullying. This comes after Simone posted some social media digs targeting MyKayla amid ongoing public spats.
In a new Reel shared on her Instagram page, MyKayla clarified that she didn’t want to “take anything away from our athletes,” urging people “to build each other up, not tear others down.”
Highlights
- MyKayla Skinner called out to Simone Biles on Instagram to stop cyberbullying after receiving death threats.
- MyKayla mentioned that the threats extended to her husband and 10-month-old daughter, citing safety concerns.
- Simone had previously posted a comment that might have fueled the controversy, leading to more hateful remarks towards MyKayla.
In the video, MyKayla, who is the mom of a 10-month-old daughter, said: “I truly hope 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 regarding 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.”
Retired American Olympic gymnast MyKayla Skinner said she received “death threats”
Image credits: mykaylaskinner2016
Back on July 30, Simone wrote, “Lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions,” and she shared photos on Instagram of her and her teammates beaming and holding up the American flag after Team USA won the Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris event.
The comment seemingly references controversial comments made by MyKayla on a since-deleted YouTube video released on June 30, 2024.
The 27-year-old and the most decorated US gymnast in Olympics history subsequently dropped an update on July 31 that suggested MyKayla had blocked her on social media.
Image credits: Amin Mohammad Jamali/Getty Images
“At this point, I am just asking for it to just stop, for the sake of my family, because enough is enough,” MyKayla urged in her new Reel.
The mom-of-one, who competed alongside Simone on the 2020 US women's Olympics gymnastics team, continued: “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 if that's really how she feels, I am really heartbroken over it.
Taking to her Instagram page on Tuesday (August 6), the athlete shared a plea to her former teammate Simone Biles
Image credits: mykaylaskinner2016
“But not just heartbroken because it isn't how I feel or even what I previously said, but heartbroken because Simone's latest post and others that followed it field another wave of hateful comments, DMs, articles, and emails, hate that includes death threats to me, my family, and even my agent.
In her now-deleted YouTube video, MyKayla said: “Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be.
Image credits: mykaylaskinner2016
“A lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.”
The beef between the two continued after Simone responded on Threads last month: “Not everyone needs a mic and a platform.” This caused their respective fanbases to clash and forced MyKayla to deliver an apology via Instagram.
“So to Simone, I am asking you directly and publicly to please put a stop to this,” MyKayla said in her new Reel. “Please ask your followers to stop.”
In a now-deleted YouTube video, MyKayla said Team USA's 2024 gymnasts didn't have a "work ethic"
Image credits: mykaylaskinner2016
The 27-year-old ex-gymnast continued: “You have been an incredible champion for mental health awareness, and a lot of people need your help now.
“We've been hurt and attacked in ways that I am certain you never intended.”
MyKayla and Simone competed together at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with the former retiring after winning a silver medal on the vault.
Simone and her team claimed her fifth Olympic gold medal, completing her return to the women’s gymnastics team with a victorious conclusion on July 30, 2024.
The gymnast was previously forced to withdraw unexpectedly from the previous version of the sports event after getting affected by the “twisties,” a phenomenon that gymnasts experience in which they lose their perception of their body while in the air.
“I don’t think you realize how dangerous this is on a hard/competition surface,” she said at the 2021 Tokyo Games. “It’s honestly petrifying trying to do a skill but not having your mind and body in sync.”
The mom-of-one competed alongside Simone on the 2020 US women's Olympics gymnastics team
Image credits: mykaylaskinner2016
The condition can result in serious injury, especially when a gymnast is attempting high-level movements.
Simone’s withdrawal led to MyKayla taking her place and winning a silver medal at the Tokyo event.
What came after for Simone has been dubbed by many as her “2024 redemption tour,” which saw the athlete and her team score an impressive 171,296 points on their performance, far surpassing Italy, who landed second place with 5,802 fewer points.
The achievement was also made possible by the stunning performances of the defending all-around champion Sunisa Lee, who struck her landing on the uneven bars, earning 14,566 points, and Jordan Chiles, who scored 14,600 points.
“You can definitely tell that she’s a different person from Tokyo than she is now,” Sunisa said, who was also a teammate of MyKayla during the 2021 Games and replied to Simone’s Instagram post with, “And that’s period!”
Simone dropped an update on July 31 that suggested MyKayla had blocked her on social media
Image credits: Simone_Biles
In addition to being the most decorated gymnast in history, Simone made history again on Monday (August 5) as she joined the first Olympic all-black women's gymnastics podium.
After concluding the women’s floor final, Brazilian Rebeca Andrade who won the gold medal, Simone who won silver, and teammate Jordan Chiles who won bronze posed together in a historic photograph.
Image credits: simonebiles
“I am just asking for it to just stop for the sake of my family because enough is enough,” MyKayla urged in her new Reel
“As soon as we were standing there, me and Jordan looked at each other,” Simone told Olympics.com on Tuesday (August 6).
Simone continued: “We were kind of all cherishing that together because we knew how special it would be, and we knew the impact that it would make on all the little girls around the world that are trying to do what we’re doing, just for them to know that it’s possible.”
“It’s setting those standards, paving the way,” she continued. “It’s like, we did it. We’re so excited because this doesn’t happen, so we’re so excited because this doesn’t happen.”
"If it isn't the consequences of your own actions," a person on social media commented
