Skip to main content

Since they’ve been together gymnast Simone Biles and NFL player Jonathan Owens haven’t been shy when it comes to posting about their love for each other on social media. So it’s no surprise that Owens was Biles’ biggest supporter in the summer of 2021 when she competed and ultimately withdrew from several Olympic events during the Tokyo Games. And he’s been showing his support again for his bride in her quest to win gold in the 2024 Paris Games. What is surprising is that before they started dating Owens didn’t know anything about Biles and how famous she is globally in her sport.

Here’s more on their relationship and what Owens said about having no idea who the Olympian was.

Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens posed for photo at a game between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens posed for photo at a game between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers | Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

When Biles and Owens started dating

Owens and Biles got together in March 2020 right around the time that coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdowns and restrictions in the U.S. were going into effect.

“He would say I slid into his DMs,” Biles told Wall Street Journal Magazine about how they started talking. “I saw him and I was like, ‘Oh, he’s pretty cute,’ so I said hi … and then I saw that he was in the Houston area, so we started chatting a little bit, and then we went to hang out a week or two later.”

Owens recalled that they met up just before everything shut down.

“We ended up hanging out right before the pandemic,” Owens said via Texas Monthly. “It was one of the few times in her life where everything was just shut off and she couldn’t do anything. So we used it to get to know each other — really get to know each other. It created our bond and made it stronger … I’m so thankful.”

Owens admitted that he didn’t know who Biles was at first

(L) Simone Biles poses with the bronze medal following Balance Beam Final at Tokyo Olympics, (R) Jonathan Owens leaves the field after a game against the Tennessee Titans
(L): Simone Biles poses with the bronze medal | Jamie Squire/Getty Images, (R): Jonathan Owens leaves the field after a game | Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

Because Biles is the most decorated American gymnast in history you would think the football safety at least heard of her, but he didn’t. And Owens’ admission that he didn’t know who she was is something that Biles really liked.

“I didn’t know who she was. I just hadn’t heard of her and when I told her that, that’s one of the things she liked,” he explained. “It was just like, ‘Oh, she has a lot of followers — she must be pretty good or something.’”

However, he soon found out about her superstar status.

According to Owens, when he started telling people about Biles they would react by saying: “‘Simone Biles?! You for real, the gymnast?!’ And I’m like, ‘Man, she’s good like that?!’”

When Owens proposed and when they got married

Related

Does Simone Biles Have a Higher Net Worth Than Her Boyfriend Jonathan Owens?

Biles had quite the Valentine’s Day in 2022 because that’s when Owens got down on one knee and proposed to her. The athletes both shared the happy news on their social media accounts with Biles showing off her oval-shaped diamond ring designed by jeweler ZoFrost.

In the photos of the big moment, the Olympic great wore a black minidress and black heeled sandals, while Owens wore a gray suit and black sneakers. Biles captioned her Instagram post: “I can’t wait to spend forever & ever with you, you’re everything I dreamed of and more! Let’s get married FIANCÉ.”

The couple tied the knot on April 22, 2023.

Best in Entertainment