Olympic floor routine.
“I feel so much love for her. It was weird because I couldn’t believe it at first, but at the same time, I’ve never been to an Olympics, so I don’t know [what it’s like],” Farber told ET of how he reacted to Biles’ exit. “The pressure must be out of this world. Not only that, she’s literally holding all of America on her shoulders.”
“For this 24-year-old to be in that position … she is a phenomenal gymnast, everyone knows. But it just proves that you don’t know what’s going on inside of the other person sometimes, no matter how strong they look,” he continued. “So I really feel for her, but I know she’s going to get through this.”
Farber credited Biles for being “such a strong woman,” something he witnessed firsthand while spending hours in rehearsals with her as they geared up for their live performances in the ballroom.
“It must be so hard. I wish her family, her mom and dad, could be there [in Tokyo], because I know she’s very close with them, to give them a hug,” he said. “Her family goes to every competition. They have been to every Olympics, and this is the first time her family was not there … that’s a big thing.”
“But I know that all of America is definitely behind her. She is such a hard worker,” he added. “I remember being in the gym with her, we had so much fun. But this just proves she’s human.”
Biles has received a tremendous amount of public support since news broke on Tuesday, with a number of celebrities and former Olympians — like Adam Rippon, Dominique Moceanu and more — taking to social media to rave over her strength, talent and courage.
“It must be so much pressure and she is the star of the team. I mean, there is always a camera in front of her. Even when she’s just waiting for events, there’s a camera there,” Farber shared. “I’m just so happy reading everything and seeing how much America is behind her.”
Biles revealed earlier this month during episode five of her Facebook Watch series, Simone vs Herself, that she had enlisted Farber to help her “spice it up” with her floor routine.
“Usually, I have a different choreographer, but this year I felt like we needed to be a little bit different, spice it up,” Biles explained at the time. “Whenever I worked with Sasha on Dancing With the Stars, we always said, ‘Oh my gosh, if we could do a floor routine, how cool would that be?'”
Farber told ET that he immediately said yes when Biles approached him to actually help out.
“We had a lot of fun together. Even seeing her in her own gym, like I remember sitting there and her teammates would be watching, and I would lose sight of how many flips and twists she’s doing,” Farber recalled. “She’s just so powerful. The energy in that gym was phenomenal and she’s inspired so many people out there and broken the barrier again.”
“It was just a dream come true,” he added. “We had way too much fun, and the floor routine [was] awesome.”
It’s Simone Biles GOAT SZN pic.twitter.com/pZsWrZWJnN
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) July 26, 2021
As ET reported earlier on Tuesday, Biles left the competition floor with the Team USA medical trainer after her first rotation on the vault. She was replaced by alternate Jordan Chiles, and the team went on to win silver, behind the Russian Olympic Committee.
“No injury, thankfully. That’s why I took a step back, because I didn’t want to do something silly out there and get injured,” Biles told reporters in a press conference. “I thought it was best if these girls took over and did the rest of the job, which they absolutely did. They’re Olympic silver medalists now and they should be really proud of themselves for how well they did last minute having to go in.”
“It’s been really stressful this Olympic Games,” she continued. “I think, just as a whole, not having an audience, there are a lot of different variables going into it. It’s been a long week, it’s been a long Olympic process, it’s been a long year … I think we’re just a little too stressed out, but we should be out here having fun and sometimes that’s not the case. I just felt like it would be a little bit better to take a backseat, work on my mindfulness and I knew that the girls would do an absolutely great job. I didn’t want to risk the team a medal.”
Later speaking to Today’s Hoda Kotb, Biles shared some insight into her mental state.
“Physically, I feel good, I’m in shape,” she explained. “Emotionally, that kind of varies on the time and moment. Coming to the Olympics and being head star isn’t an easy feat, so we’re just trying to take it one day at a time and we’ll see.”
“We’re going to take it day by day and we’re just gonna see,” she added, when asked whether she’ll return to competition for the all-around events on Thursday.
Farber told ET that he briefly chatted with Biles on Tuesday, and will support her in whatever decision she makes moving forward.
“We’ve messaged through social because it’s a little hard. I know she’s going through a lot, and I’m sure she’s trying to just kind of breathe,” he revealed. “I spoke to her coach, Cecile [Landi]. I know Cecile is there with her, acting as her mother, she’s there by her side, you can see 24/7. I’ve spoken to her. And yeah, I just hope whatever decision she makes, it’s gonna be for the right reason.”
“She is a superstar, and I don’t know if there will ever be someone as good as Simone,” he added. “She’s just phenomenal. I’m super proud of her, I love her. I can’t wait to give her a hug.”
Hear more in the video below, and tune into Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday (check your local listings here) for more on Farber and Biles.
