5 Takeaways from Simone Biles’ Vanity Fair Interview

5 Takeaways from Simone Biles’ Vanity Fair Interview

Simone Biles sat down with Vanity Fair’s Leah Faye Cooper to talk about life, love and gymnastics. Here are 5 notable takeaways! (Click here for the full interview.)

Even the G.O.A.T still gets nervous competing 

At the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp, Biles became the most decorated gymnast in history, bringing her World and Olympic medal tally to 37 – the most of any gymnast male or female. Yet Biles admitted she wasn’t as confident as she wanted to be going into the competition. 

“I felt like I was back in my element and it was exciting, but I was truly petrified,” Biles said. “I had the training to back it up because we worked really hard, [but] I wasn’t as confident or as comfortable as I wanted to be.”

Biles is not afraid to advocate for mental health 

After struggling with a mental block and withdrawing from the Team Final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (and subsequently missing the All-Around and all remaining event finals except for beam), Biles said life wasn’t “glorious.” However, she continues to be an advocate for taking care of your mental health and ending the stigma around medication, sharing that she goes to therapy and takes medication for her anxiety. 

“When I took a break after 2016, I had the time of my life. I was doing anything and everything. But after 2020, it was kind of depressing until I started therapy and got help. I felt like a failure. Even though I was empowering so many people and speaking out about mental health, every time I talked about my experience in Tokyo—because it obviously didn’t go the way that I had planned—it stung a little bit.”

Her wedding day topped becoming an Olympic All-Around Champion 

Biles married Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens in the spring of 2023, which she describes as one of the most fun days of her life. 

“I was 19 when I won my first Olympics, and I was like, How am I supposed to top this? My wedding topped it. It was the greatest feeling ever.”

Biles won’t be “crushed” if she doesn’t make it to the Paris Olympics 

Biles has not publicly stated that the Paris 2024 Olympics is her goal, telling Vanity Fair, “If I don’t make it to Paris, it won’t absolutely crush me.” 

With a new home currently being built in Texas, a husband to root for on the Football field, FaceTime wine dates and family/friend time – Biles has a lot outside of the gym to keep her busy – and happy! 

Biles is passionate about helping kids in Foster Care 

“I’ll always advocate for foster kids,” she says. “I was a foster kid and something very out of the ordinary happened to me.” While Biles knows she’s an anomaly, she’s hopeful that with enough support, more kids in foster care will graduate from high school, attend college, and go on to live full, successful lives. “We’re opening a chapter in Houston,” she says of the organization. “I think the kids deserve that.”