Tokyo , Japan – 22 July 2021; Mykayla Skinner, left, and Simone Biles of the United States during a … More
Olympic silver medalist Mykayla Skinner is making headlines again, and not for her gymnastics. The retired gymnast attempted to insert herself into the ongoing dispute regarding transgender athletes in sports between Simone Biles and Riley Gaines.
In a statement delivered by right-wing outlet One America News Network on Friday, Skinner accused her Olympic teammate of bullying, while simultaneously expressing support for Gaines’ anti-transgender cause.
OAN shared Skinner’s official statement on X.
“As an athlete who has dedicated years to a sport, I’ve always believed that true competition should elevate us—not diminish others. That’s why it’s deeply troubling to see (Simone Biles) publicly label a fellow female athlete a ‘sore loser’—simply for expressing valid concerns about fairness in women’s sports,” Skinner said.
“I commend and appreciate (Riley Gaines) for having the courage to speak up. Women like her are not only standing for fairness, but for the future of female athletics itself. She deserves support—not ridicule.”
Skinner then went on to accuse Biles of bullying behavior over their nearly decade-long overlap on the competitive stage.
“Throughout my own career, I endured being belittled, dismissed, and ostracized behind the scenes by Simone. The pressure to stay silent was immense. I kept quiet out of respect—for the sport, for my teammates, and for the ideal of unity among athletes,” Skinner continued.
“But witnessing this kind of public shaming, especially from someone in a position of influence, makes that silence no longer acceptable. It’s one thing to disagree. It’s another to use your platform to bully and demean. No one should be punished for standing up for fairness and biological reality. We should be lifting each other up—not tearing one another down for speaking hard truths,” she said.
TOKYO, JAPAN – JULY 28: Simone Biles and MyKayla Skinner of Team United States watch the Men’s … More
She signed off her statement as an “Olympic Medalist.”
For avid followers of the sport, Skinner’s comments fell on deaf ears. Many argued that, without Simone Biles, Mykayla Skinner would not own an Olympic silver medal.
At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Skinner failed to qualify for any event finals, ending her Olympic bid on her first day of competition.
However, when Biles withdrew from multiple finals due to ‘The Twisties,’ only then was Skinner able to take Biles’ spot in the event final. At the time, Skinner praised Biles for her relentless support.
“To just have her support, and her having to step out of finals, and her just pushing me along every single day to help me to place on that podium has been so cool,” Skinner told ESPN in 2021.
When Skinner ultimately claimed a silver, Biles was quick to comment, “I’m so freaking proud of you.”
Without Biles’ withdrawal, Skinner would have left Tokyo empty-handed.
2024 Olympics: The Feud Begins
Skinner’s feud with the 2024 Olympic gymnastics team went mainstream in 2024. A controversial figure in gymnastics, Skinner struck a nerve with athletes and fans with her comments leading up to the selection of the U.S. Olympic team.
While watching the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Skinner took to her YouTube channel to share her thoughts on the athletes and their performances. In a now-deleted video, the Utah native criticized her former teammates and bemoaned the state of U.S. women’s gymnastics.
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 30: (L-R) Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Simone Biles, Jade Carey and Sunisa Lee … More
“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be.” Just notice like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic,” the now-influencer said.
After leaving the gold medal podium, biles and her 2024 Olympic teammates would soon ‘shade’ Skinner. Minutes after leaving the Paris podium, the newly minted Olympic Champions took to social media to celebrate their win.
While all five medalists shared celebratory posts, Biles’ post jabbed at Skinner’s comments. Biles shared a pointed caption alongside a triumphant photo of the team, titling the post, “lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions ❤️🥇🇺🇸.”
The post spiraled into a public fallout, ending with Skinner largely withdrawing from involvement in online gymnastics commentary.
Skinner’s Controversial History
TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 01: Mykayla Skinner of Team United States poses with the silver medal … More
For many fans of the sport, Skinner’s recent comments mark an attempt to manufacture relevance and align with causes that contradict her former teammate’s views.
The comments also signal the continuation of a career marked by controversial decision-making and inflammatory statements.
After missing the Olympic team in 2016, Skinner shared a fan-made photo in which her face was superimposed over Olympic Champion Gabby Douglas’. In that same post, Skinner drew allegations of racism after using monkey emojis, widely viewed as racist tropes. Archived Twitter posts also pointed to Skinner’s past use of racial slurs.
While a gymnast at the University of Utah, she frequently clashed with judges and audibly complained about scoring. Dubbed “the most hated gymnast in the NCAA” by Slate, her inflammatory antics drew criticism from fans.
Further, at the 2021 Olympics, Skinner drew criticism again for her complaints pertaining to the local Japanese cuisine, with many followers labeling her views as racist and xenophobic.
Mykayla Skinner’s latest remarks have reignited long-standing tensions and drawn renewed scrutiny to her history of controversy within the sport. Once celebrated for her resilience, Skinner risks being remembered more for inflammatory commentary than athletic achievements.
