CELEBRITY
Fans think Simone Biles’ Instagram caption is a reference to a former teammate.
When Simone Biles celebrated the U.S. women gymnastics team’s Olympic gold medal on Instagram, she also included a caption that caught people’s attention.
“Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions,” wrote Biles, 27, as she shared photos of her and her teammates beaming and holding up the American flag following their victory in Paris July 30.
Biles didn’t include an explanation of her caption, but many fans thought her words were a dig at MyKayla Skinner. The former Olympic gymnast, 27, apologized earlier in July after she questioned the talent and work ethic of this year’s U.S. women’s gymnastics competitors.
On Aug. 6, Skinner addressed the caption, and its fallout, in a video message shared to Instagram.
The 27-year-old said she and her family have been the target of online harassment following Biles’ social media post.
“I sincerely hoped that this topic wouldn’t need to be revisited, but unfortunately things have really gotten out of hand lately and it’s one thing to disagree with me regarding something I have said or a point I was trying to make. But it’s something else entirely when that turns into cyberbullying or even worse,” Skinner began the post.