Simone Biles’s husband Johnathan Owens has revealed who he thinks is the better athlete between the two of them.
The Olympian and the Chicago Bears’ safety were recently together on the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year red carpet when they were asked: “Who is the best athlete?”
Immediately Owens points to his wife as he provides the explanation, “I’m not doing no backflips. Nah.”
Despite the NFL player immediately conceding to the most decorated U.S. gymnast, the two of them have previously argued over which of their sports are more difficult.
While appearing on Peacock’s 2023 Back That Year Up, the gymnast explained that she and the NFL player have argued over which one of them is the better athlete. During the program, co-hosts Kenan Thompson and Kevin Hart asked Biles: “Who is the better athlete in the house?”
.@Simone_Biles and @jjowens_3 didn't hesitate with these answers 😆 pic.twitter.com/P7uxfhii8e
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 17, 2025
“I think we’re good at our own sports,” she replied. “We’ve tried to pin each other against [one another] on, like, difficulty, ability, and all that stuff. So, at the end of the day, gymnastics is harder — if he agrees or not.”
Despite Biles claiming that both she and Owens are good at their respective sports, Thompson decided to be honest about who he believed was the better athlete. “That’s a nice politician’s answer, but here’s the truth. I know your name, that’s all I’m going to say. I know your name,” the Saturday Night Live comedian said.
Hart then chimed in, pointing out a detail in Biles’s previous comment. “Let’s go back to what you just said, which is that gymnastics is much harder. Sounds like this has been a household fight for some time. Do you want to get into it now? Want to clear it up?”
The gymnast explained that she and her husband have “fought over” which sport is harder “a couple of times,” but promised each other that they “wouldn’t talk about it again” once they got married in April 2023. “It keeps coming up every time, but he has done my workout in the gym and he can barely do it, and then I went to their NFL workout and I crushed it,” she added.
Although Owens may now be calling his wife the better athlete, Biles went on to immediately call him the “best cheerleader.”
“Jonathan, he knows more and he really pays attention,” she said, adding that she tends to get distracted. “After the first half, I lose track of the game.”
Her husband then chimed in, saying, “She’ll hear everybody else yelling and she’ll be like, ‘What happened.’”
However, despite Biles not always completely being aware of the game details, Owens appreciates that she shows up at all. “But you know, it’s the thought that counts, I love it,” he said.
