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Gabby Douglas Says She’s Tired of ‘Constantly Being Bullied’ Amid Simone Biles Comparisons
Enough is enough for Gabby Douglas! The celebrated athlete, who was the first Black gymnast to win an individual all-around Olympic title, is tired of being “bullied” with comparisons to Simone Biles.
The Virginia native, 28, responded to a TikTok video on Tuesday, August 6, where the creator expressed their dislike for how sports fans “dropped” Gabby “like a bad habit” when Simone became the new face of gymnastics.
“Gabby Douglas used to be the greatest Olympic gymnast and then here comes Simone Biles,” the TikTok user said. “Nobody cares about Gabby Douglas anymore. When [was] the last time you thought about Gabby Douglas? I think about her all the time.”
Gabby directly responded in the comments, reassuring the user that it “was OK,” as she had been privately dealing with negativity.
“Constantly being bullied is very tiring and wearing on me,” she wrote in response. “I just want to live my life and be at peace. Thanks for the love. Definitely needed in his world x.”
Gabby made her mark at the 2012 London Olympic Games, where she made history for being the first Black gymnast to win an individual all-around Olympic title and the first American to win both the individual all-around and team gold medals in a single Olympics.
The three-time Olympic gold medalist was absent from the 2024 Paris Games, revealing in June that she would not be attending the Games due to an injury.
“i’m sad to say that due to a foot injury during practice i will not be able to continue my 2024 journey. this may be the end of this chapter but not the end of my gymnastics story,” she wrote via Instagram on June 2. “sending all the best to the girls tonight! always cheering usa on!”
Meanwhile, it’s been a big year at the Olympics for Simone. The professional athlete won three gold medals at the 2024 Games, taking home the top honor in the team competition, individual all-around, and vault. She also took home the silver medal in the women’s floor event.
However, the current Team USA has still had its critics. In June, former teammate MyKayla Skinner made comments dissing Team USA’s work ethic in a lengthy video on YouTube. Although she excluded Simone, MyKayla, 27, claimed “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. A lot of girls don’t work as hard,” MyKayla said in the since-deleted YouTube video. “It’s hard too because of SafeSport. Coaches can’t get on athletes which in some ways is really good but at the same time, to get to where you need to be in gymnastics you do have to be … a little aggressive, a little intense.”
Simone subtly clapped back after Team USA’s win in the team all-around final on July 30, sharing a photo with teammates Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee and Hezly Rivera.
“lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions,” she captioned the post, seemingly responding to her former teammate.
After receiving major backlash, MyKayla directly reached out to Simone weeks later, asking her to request that her followers stop the cyberbullying she has endured since she made her controversial comments.
“Things have really gotten out of hand lately and it’s one thing to disagree with me regarding something I said or a point I was trying to make,” the Arizona native said in a lengthy message posted via Instagram on Tuesday, August 6. “But it’s something else entirely when that turns into cyberbullying or even worse.”
She stated that her comments have resulted in “threats of physical harm” against her, her husband, and her infant daughter.
