Simone Biles, the gymnastics icon often hailed as the greatest of all time, recently returned to Texas after an intense and successful competitive run. While fans welcomed her with admiration, her homecoming sparked an unexpected moment when a podcaster friend openly questioned her personal skills. The exchange quickly grabbed attention online, leaving many fans curious about the story behind the conversation. In this article, we’ll unpack what happened, why it matters, and how it reflects both Simone’s career and her personal journey.
Simone Biles’ Return to Texas
A Hero’s Homecoming
Simone’s return to Texas was filled with warmth. After captivating global audiences with her performances, she came back to the state she calls home. Texas isn’t just where Biles trains—it’s also where her strong support system of family and friends is based.
Why Texas Matters to Simone
Texas has always been Simone’s anchor. From her early training days in Houston to building her gymnastics empire, the Lone Star State symbolizes her growth and resilience. Returning here meant reconnecting with her roots, which makes the questioning incident even more interesting.
Simone Biles has spent the months following her “Redemption Tour” in Paris exploring new corners of life that stretch far beyond the competition floor. Her ventures have included a partnership with Athleta, a restaurant project slated for Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and a new interest in horseback riding near her Texas home. Between a belated honeymoon in South Africa, a mid-summer getaway to Belize, and her frequent appearances in striking ensembles at sporting events, Biles has demonstrated the same precision in her public image that has long defined her athletic career. Yet it was a lighthearted moment in Texas, shared by a close friend, that reminded everyone of the humor and quick wit behind the champion’s polished presence.
Biles reshared a video on Instagram posted by her longtime friend Sophie Tangel, a Chicago-based marketer and content creator. In the clip, Tangel began with, “I have a question for you.” Biles, leaning into the conversation, replied, “Yes?” What followed left viewers stunned. Tangel continued, “Do you sometimes wish you were, like, a little bit more athletic?” Biles, visibly amused, laughed and paused before asking, “Is this a serious question?” When Tangel doubled down, repeating the playful remark, and Biles delivered her sharpest line. “Do you know who are you talking to?”
The exchange underscored the mutual ease between Simone Biles and Tangel, who founded Tribe Marketing and co-host the Untitled podcast. Yet it also highlighted why Biles remains an unrivaled figure in sport. With four Olympic gold medals, seven total Olympic medals, and more than 20 World Championship titles, her record leaves no ambiguity about her athletic stature. Her pointed comeback drew laughter precisely because the premise of the question was absurd to anyone familiar with her achievements.
Meanwhile, the gymnast recently returned to Texas, where she balanced appearances at her husband Jonathan Owens’ NFL games with ongoing work on their custom-built mansion. Although the $3 million property remains unfinished after two years of construction, Biles has continued to post glimpses of the site, describing the remaining changes as “minor aesthetic adjustments.” In the meantime, she appeared at a Chicago Bears game in a black-and-orange leather varsity jacket that featured Owens’ name, team logo, and jersey number.
The look reflected her evolving fashion identity, which has become increasingly central to her public persona.
Biles’ decision to repost the clip on her Instagram story signaled that she welcomed the jest. Far from irritation, the repost showed her comfort with lighthearted ribbing from friends, even when the comment touched on her athleticism. The response also carried a deeper resonance: It reminded the public that the gymnast who once stunned the world in Rio and again in Paris is still aware of her position as the sport’s standard-bearer. Her confidence rests not in defensiveness but in the knowledge that no playful remark can undercut the body of work that earned her the title of the greatest gymnast of all time.
For followers who have tracked her recent ventures, whether launching a new Athleta collection, opening “Taste of Gold,” or gracing the US Open in carefully curated attire, the video was another piece of the larger portrait. It presented Biles not as a distant icon but as a woman who can laugh at herself, answer back with wit, and then return to the business of setting new standards in sport, fashion, and beyond. And Mr Biles, aka Jonathan Owens, too, concedes Simone Biles is unquestionably the greater athlete in their relationship
