Simone Biles has been called a ‘bully’ by former USA teammate MyKayla Skinner, who says Biles’ recent feud with Riley Gaines is a painful reminder of her own encounters with the Olympic great.

Biles, a seven-time Olympic gold medal winner, apologized four days after comparing Gaines to a man in a personal attack during a disagreement over the ex-swimmer’s campaign against trans athletes competing in women’s sports. 

The has incident prompted Skinner to speak out on her own experiences with Biles – they were teammates together from 2014 to 2020, representing the United States at two Olympics. Last week, Skinner said she ‘endured being belittled, dismissed and ostracized behind the scenes by Simone’, claims she has added to in a new interview.

But their relationship is in ruins, now. Biles and Skinner publicly fell out during last year’s Paris Games, where Biles took issue with Skinner’s scrutiny over the USA team – aside from Biles – which culminated with Skinner publicly begging Biles to call off the social media onslaught she was on the receiving end of. 

But that, Skinner now says, is only one incident where she has been victimized by Biles.

‘Well, throughout my career, there have been many times when I have been belittled and bullied by Simone and have wanted to keep quiet for the other athletes,’ she told Fox.

Simone Biles’ former teammate MyKayla Skinner says she was bullied by the Olympic great

Biles and Skinner – pictured heading to the Tokyo Olympics together in 2021 – fell out last year

Biles and Skinner (right) celebrate as teammates at Olympic trials in Missouri in 2021

‘And there have been multiple times through my Olympic journey and through camps, training, everything that we have gone through where she has come and belittled all of us. I’ve wanted to stay silent through this because she has a huge platform.’

Their feud during the Paris Games became a major talking last year. Skinner, on a YouTube channel she set up to analyze the USA Gymnastics team, questioned how good Biles’ teammates were, saying: ‘Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be.’ 

The comments made their way back to the Olympian herself, who got fired up. After winning gold in women’s gymnastics, Biles posted a celebratory picture on Instagram with the caption ‘lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions’, in reference to Skinner.

Biles took other shots at Skinner during the Games. ‘Not everyone needs a mic and a platform,’ she wrote on threads.

Skinner then blocked Biles on Instagram and Biles responded by announcing it on X, with US teammate Jordan Chiles sharing a picture of Biles holding her phone showing what Skinner had done. 

USA gymnastics royalty McKayla Maroney then got involved, calling out Skinner.

‘It doesn’t get more iconic than this,’ Maroney wrote on Instagram in response to Biles’ post about being blocked. ‘[Skinner] f’d around n found out fr. Feels like I need to apologize just to redeem my first name.’

Chiles, as well as US teammate Suni Lee, and Jade Carey, also blocked Skinner on social media after her comments. 

Biles referenced Skinner’s controversial take after their gold-medal triumph in Paris last year

Skinner sided with Riley Gaines after she was blasted by Biles over her stance on trans athletes

Reflecting on the incident nearly a year later, Skinner told Fox: ‘I had multiple fans reach out that wanted me to go live, publicly live, and wanted me to make a YouTube video commentating Olympic trials because I know gymnastics, I have been to the Olympics, and to share my experiences.

‘Everybody had loved it and then during my short 15-minute YT video they had taken a short clip, twisted my words and it had gone viral. 

‘Then the bullying had happened, Simone and I had a conversation and I thought things had died down. 

‘More had started to play into it throughout the Olympic games and I was getting bullied, my publicist was also getting bullied, hateful threats comments, comments on my family and daughter. 

‘I reached out to Simone personally, and got no response, no response from the girls. I had reached out to my fellow teammates and friends and got no response form them as well.’

Biles and Skinner pictured together in happier times – their friendship now seems to be ruined

Biles announced on social media that Skinner had blocked her during the Games last year 

And Jordan Chiles got involved, drawing attention to Skinner’s decision to block Biles 

Skinner says she has decided to speak out again now to try and underline the perils of cyber bullying.

Asked if Biles’ ‘belittling behavior’ occured through her career, Skinner said: ‘Yes it did. Yes, multiple times throughout. Different moments in my career and it has been very hard and very difficult and this is why I have wanted to speak out. 

‘With the Olympics going on that was a major experience that I went through and very difficult and I want to conitinue to help cyber bullying come to an end.’

Biles has not responded to the recent comments by Skinner.