What did MyKayla Skinner say about Simone Biles? Olympic medalist refers gymnast as bully amid Riley Gaines controversy

Simone Biles accused of bullying amid online feud by MyKayla Skinner.

According to athlete MyKayla Skinner, Simone Biles' attack on Riley Gaines earlier this June is not a completely out-of-character thing for the gymnast. Though she has since apologised for her behaviour, according to Skinner, it isn't enough, as in a new detailed statement, she talks about how she has suffered due to her former teammate.

Skinner details about her experience in a statement to OANN, saying:

"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."

She further commends Riley Gaines' bravery for speaking up and standing up to Simone Biles:

"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." Further adding her anecdotes about Simone Biles, "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. But witnessing this kind of public shaming, especially from someone in a position of influence, makes that silence no longer acceptable."

She concludes:

"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."

Simone Biles and Riley Gaines controversy

It all started when Simone Biles called out Riley, the host of the Gaines For Girls show on OutKick, earlier this month for saying that it's unfair for male, transgender athletes to dominate women's sports.

Gaines said this after a male transgender athlete won Minnesota's State Softball Championship by relying on unfair physical advantages, and announced the celebration online, keeping the comments off. Gaines' tweet replied on that saying:

"Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy."

This sparked outrage on Simone Bile's behalf as she retorted:

"@Riley_Gaines_ You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!"

However, Gaines did not back down, as she further brought up the real issue behind this:

"This is actually so disappointing. It's not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces. You can uplift men stealing championships in women's sports with YOUR platform. Men don't belong in women's sports and I say that with my full chest."

This ended up sparking a debate on the internet on who is wrong and who is right. However, later on, Simone Biles did apologise in detail, posting:

"I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for. "

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She further added, "These are sensitive, complicated issues that I truly don’t have the answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect. I was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women’s sports. My objection is to be singling out children for public scrutiny in ways that feel personal and harmful. Individual athletes—especially kids—should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over. I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition. We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful."

Throughout this altercation with Simone Biles, MyKayla was not the only one to stand up for Riley, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, actor Rob Schneider, and plenty more also took her side after the Olympian's unprovoked social media attack.

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