MyKayla Skinner says she’s experiencing online bullying from fans of her fellow gymnast Simone Biles amid the 2024 Olympic Games.
On Tuesday, Skinner posted a video on Instagram asking Biles to put an end to the cyberbullying she says she’s faced over her previous comments about U.S. women’s gymnastics.
“Things have really gotten out of hand lately,” Skinner, a former Olympian, says in the video clip. “It’s one thing to disagree with me regarding something I have said or a point I was trying to make, but it’s something else entirely when that turns into cyberbullying or even worse. Watching people cheer on the bullying, which has led to threats of physical harm to me, my husband and our daughter, is disgusting.”
Skinner shares an 11-month-old daughter, Charlotte, with her husband, Jonas Harmer.
“Why I’m here is because about four weeks ago, I made a comment about work ethic and what seems to be taking place with the rising generation,” Skinner says in the Instagram video. “To be totally clear, I take 100% responsibility for poorly articulating the point I was trying to make, and the last thing I wanted was to cause harm or offend our U.S. Olympic team.”
“I know these women are incredible — the very best of the best — and almost all of them are my former teammates who I have enjoyed very much cheering on the last few years,” she added.
In June, Skinner caused a stir after she criticized the 2024 U.S. women’s gymnastics team in a since-deleted YouTube video. She later clarified her comments, saying they were “misinterpreted,” and offered a formal apologyin a statement.
In the removed YouTube video, Skinner shared her thoughts on the women’s team, saying: “Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t what it used to be. I mean, obviously, a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.”
After winning the team gold medal in Paris, Biles ― now the most decorated American gymnast in Olympics history ― seemingly hit back at Skinner’s June comments in an Instagram post celebrating alongside her teammates.
“Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions ❤️🥇🇺🇸,” Biles captioned her post alongside photos of her and her team — Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, Suni Lee and Hezly Rivera — marking the special moment.
In Tuesday’s clip, Skinner alleged that “Simone’s latest post and others that followed it fueled another wave of hateful comments, DMs, articles and emails ― hate that includes death threats to me, my family and even my agent.”
Skinner, a silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, said the alleged backlash has left her “heartbroken,” and that she reached out to the Team USA women’s gymnastics roster to apologize to them personally.
“Only Simone had responded and she told me that she was proud of me,” Skinner claimed. “You guys can imagine my surprise last week when I was celebrating our team winning gold, just to see this brought up all over again by a caption on an Instagram post.”
Jade Carey, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Biles, Skinner and Grace McCallum at the 2021 U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Trials, June 27, 2021, in St. Louis.
Carmen Mandato via Getty Images
“To Simone, I am asking you directly and publicly to please put a stop to this,” Skinner said in the Instagram video. “Please ask your followers to stop. You have been an incredible champion for mental health awareness and a lot of people need your help now.”
“We’ve been hurt and attacked in ways that I am certain you never intended,” she added. “Your performance, the team’s performance and the Olympics in general should be a time that we support one another.”
Not everyone found Skinner’s plea entirely persuasive. Some critics on social media accused Skinner of trying to paint herself as a victim and failing to take full accountability for her previous comments.
MyKayla is a great illustration of white fragility.
Black woman holds her accountable for HER words, and now she (white woman) is owed an apology for the consequences of her own actions??? BE FOR REAL. https://t.co/27G46ihbF7— Katelyn #LowBarTeacher 🐍🐊🖍️✏️🎃📜👑🚫👨👀 (@k8roulette2) August 6, 2024
mykayla doing what she does- making it simone’s responsibility to clean up her mess. i can’t believe she watched that video and thought it would be a good idea to post. death threats are never acceptable, but framing it as simone’s responsibility to fix is crazy.— kenny (@dimtaggett) August 6, 2024
Not Mykayla trying to pull the “white woman’s tears” card… Girl YOU started this mess and didn’t think to consider how YOUR actions would impact your former teammates AND Gabby (in 2016). Miss me with that bullshit🤬 https://t.co/wOgjMW6nLL— Church Girl (@mmfuentes31) August 6, 2024
Mykayla Skinner and her family receiving death threats is absolutely unacceptable.
What’s also unacceptable, is her using Simone’s mental health struggles and advocation to guilt trip her when her own comments could’ve impacted the rest of team USA’s mental health as well 👏— grace 🥥🎷 (@amazingg999) August 6, 2024
HuffPost has reached out to representatives for Skinner and Biles for comment.
