Simone Biles' husband Jonathan Owens shares memorable moment of 'not knowing' who she was before they met (an)

“I was like, ‘Man, she got a lot of followers, she must be pretty good,” the NFL safety said

Jonathan Owens and Simone Biles. Photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty

Jonathan Owens knows it’s inconceivable that he didn’t know who wife Simone Biles was when they first met, but he insists he was oblivious.

“A lot of people don’t believe me when I say I had no clue,” the NFL safety told Vanity Fair in a cover story for their February issue, which published online Wednesday.

The couple — who tied the knot at an intimate courthouse ceremony in April 2023 before getting married (again) in Mexico during a bigger destination wedding — famously met in 2020, on the invite-only dating app Raya. And though Biles is now the most decorated gymnast in history, Owens says at the time that he was unaware of her 2016 Olympics success, explaining that he was at a training camp at alma mater Missouri Western State University at the time and wasn’t paying attention to the Rio de Janeiro Games.

“I never once was like, ‘Oh, let me check gymnastics out,’ ” he said, noting he only caught some basketball and a bit of track.

He quickly learned when he found Biles on Instagram. “I was like, ‘Man, she got a lot of followers, she must be pretty good,” he told Vanity Fair.

Owens, 28, drew skepticism from fans for making similar remarks during a joint appearance with Biles on the The Pivot podcast back in December.

“When she won the Olympics, I was in college, and we didn’t have NBC, we didn’t have Olympics channels, and we were in [training] camp [in] late July, early August,” he explained, adding, “So I’m not paying attention. I never would’ve had a moment where I would’ve watched [her compete].”

Biles messaged Owens first on Raya, he said on the podcast. After “t

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exting back and forth,” they met in person several days later. And though he had been “afraid to commit” because of where he was in life at the time, Biles won him over. “You know, it happens when you least expect it. When we hung out, we just hit it off instantly. Laughed the whole night.”

In her Vanity Fair cover story, Biles said the two were instantly “hooked” when they met.

Since they met during the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two told the outlet their relationship started with time spent at one another’s house during quarantine, drinking sangria, watching movies and playing games. “I just noticed her laugh,” recalled Owens. “It was just contagious. We could talk all day and we’d stayed up late, and there just wasn’t an awkward moment.”

“I’m going to be honest, obviously he’s very fine,” Biles said, of her initial attraction to Owens. “[But] besides his looks, he was so sweet and kind, and I think what I liked about him was his confidence. He truly believes he’s the best at everything.”

Jonathan Owens and Simone Biles. SImone Biles/Instagram

That confidence is what was likely behind Owens’ claim that he was “the catch” in their relationship.

The athlete didn’t repeat that remark to Vanity Fair, but — like his assertion that he didn’t know who Biles was — found himself in hot water in December after saying it on The Pivot podcast, hosted by Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder.

“I always say that the men are the catch,” Owens said, after if he considered himself the “catch” in his relationship with Biles. Grilled on “How in the hell did you pull Simone Biles?”, Owens said, “It’s really how she pulled me, man, that’s the question.”

Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens. Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
Simone Biles Says She and Husband Jonathan Owens Discuss Who Is the Better Athlete: ‘Gymnastics Is Harder’

Biles’ fans expressed their outrage on her behalf online. But Owens remained unfazed by the criticism. “Unbothered 😂❤️ Just know we locked in over here 🤞🏽,” he wrote alongside a series of photographs of himself and Biles on Instagram.

“🤞🏾💋 for life,” Biles replied in the comments section, as well as sharing her husband’s post on her Instagram Story.

She also shared a photo of herself and Owens both striking a pose on their wedding day on her Instagram, and added the caption, “Mood.”

Days later, Biles reacted to the criticism again as it continued to mount, posting a photo of a confused-looking child scratching their head on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Are y’all done yet?” Biles wrote alongside the photo.

Vanity Fair’s February issues hits newsstands January 23.