“Her work ethic really the first thing that caught my eye,” Jonathan Owens said about his girlfriend, Simone Biles, during Simone Vs. Herself on Facebook Watch. Simone, 24, and Jonathan, 25, began dating in the summer of 2020, and the Houston Texans player said that at the start of the romance, he was unaware that she was a 4-time Olympic gold medalist. “The first time I talked to her, when I met her, I honestly didn’t know who she was. It was just kind of ‘oh, she got a lot of followers, you know. She must be pretty good or something.’” Jonathan said that when he told people they were dating, they had a different reaction. “[They would go] ‘Simone Biles?! You for real, the gymnast?! And I’m like, ‘Man, she’s good like that?’”
Simone Biles’ boyfriend, Houston Texans defensive back Jonathan Owens, says he didn’t know who she was when they first met. pic.twitter.com/ArsGNCMObG
— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) July 6, 2021
like if he saw that she had a bunch of followers…how did he not see the very first thing on all of her profiles? mmhmm likely story sir pic.twitter.com/Lcbp0kuUgL
— jules (@jmackbabywoods) July 5, 2021
Not all viewers believed Jonathan. “That clip of Simone biles’ boyfriend pretending he did not know who she was when they were first dating deserves the Emmy this year for Best Musical or Comedy,” tweeted one. “Simone Biles’ boyfriend needs to cut it out lol You knew who that lady was,” added another. “Simone biles boyfriend saying he didn’t know who she was…….ok liar.” “Simone Biles’ boyfriend claiming to not know who she was before they started dating is the quite literally the dumbest lie I’ve heard out of a man’s mouth in quite some time.” The timeline quickly filled with similar comments, each person either shocked that he would say such a thing — or unconvinced that he really didn’t know who she was.
Simone Biles’ boyfriend needs to cut it out lol You knew who that lady was
— Dr. Erin Wilson (@ErinV1985) July 6, 2021
oh why do you guys think Simone biles’ boyfriend is lying😂😂he probably didn’t know her like that😂
— mea (@_maudieee_x) July 7, 2021
Simone biles boyfriend already failed the assignment damn lil bruhhh
— CGriff (@griffybethyname) July 6, 2021
Some, but not a lot, of people came to Jonathan’s defense online, arguing that not everyone watches the Olympics. However, others argued that Simone’s fame and cultural significance – with her, a Black woman, being the most decorated American gymnast in history, arguably the ‘Greatest Of All Time’ – meant that Jonathan’s ignorance was either unbelievable at best or unacceptable at worst.
If Jonathan really didn’t know who Simone was when they started dating, he’s making up for it. Since they went public with their relationship, the two have frequently shared moments of PDA on their social media accounts. Recently, Simone shared a photo of her kissing Jonathan while taking a ride on what appeared to be a street carriage. “You give me butterflies,” she captioned the July 2 post.