Jonathan Owens Has Responded to Backlash He Received for Saying He's "The Catch" in Marriage to Simone Biles

He's supremely unbothered.

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Gymnast Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens of the Chicago Bears record a video on the field before Owens threw out a first pitch before a game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on April 13, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Jonathan Owens has shared his reaction to backlash he received over comments he made last year about his marriage to Simone Biles.

"I have all my social media notifications off, so I didn’t even know for a while," Owens told Us Weekly of the uproar he ushered in online. "I was actually with my mom and Simone whenever it came out, so, all the comments and everything, I just let them read it. I try to stay off of it, and obviously if you feel like stuff is kind of getting out of hand, that’s when you reach in and say something."

He continued, "I don’t mean to cuss, but like, damned if you do, damned if you don’t. If you say something, they’re going to say something; if you don’t say something, they’re going to say something. So, just live your life. People are going to talk about you anyway, so you might as well do it the way you want to."

In December, Owens—a football safety for the Chicago Bears—famously said during an interview that he felt he was "the catch" in his marriage to Biles, who is the most decorated gymnast in literal history. Yeah, I know, the math isn't mathing.

Anyway, as one might expect, people weren't pleased by Owens' comments, and widely criticized him on social media afterwards.

Speaking on Call Her Daddy in April, Biles said that she had no idea his comments would land that way for people, and was incredibly hurt by it all. "I'm like, 'Why are you guys talking about my husband like this?'" she told host Alex Cooper. "Like you don't know him, you don't know who he is, and if anybody's met him, they know he's the sweetest guy and will do anything for anybody."

Biles recently qualified for this year's Paris Olympics, and Owens has been sure to share his unwavering support for his wife on social media. "Just sounds so surreal being able to say my wife is the best to EVER do it, how did i get so lucky," he wrote on one recent Instagram post. Aw!

Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.