MyKayla Skinner Asks Simone Biles To ‘Publicly Put A Stop’ To Her Fans Clapbacks Following ‘Lazy Work Ethic’ Comments
Simone Biles' former teammate took to social media to call for a ceasefire amongst her fans who continue to troll her following controversial comments she previously made.
Mykayla Skinner — not to be confused with McKayla Maroney — claimed she was celebrating the team's gold medal when her "lazy work ethic" comments resurfaced, where she claimed that Biles aside, the talent isn't what it used to be.
"I feel like the talent and the depth isn't what it used to be. Obviously a lot of girls don't work as hard, the girls just don't have the work ethic," Skinner, 27, stated in a now-deleted YouTube video responding to the Olympic trials in July.
The former athlete issued an apology to her Instagram on July 6, maintaining that it wasn't her intention to "offend or disrespect" anyone. That said, a diabolical clapback she received from fans prompted her to raise a white flag.
"Imagine my surprise last week when I was celebrating our team winning gold just to see this brought up all over again by a caption on an Instagram post. If Simone truly believes that I called our team lazy and lacking talent... if that's really how she feels I'm really heartbroken over it," she said.
"Simone's latest post and others that followed it field another wave of hateful comments, DMs, articles, and emails... hate that includes death threats to me, my family, and even my agent. My family and my friends don't deserve to be caught in a cross-fire here," the 27-year-old continued.
"To Simone, I am asking you directly and publicly to please put a stop to this," she added. "Please ask your followers to stop. You have been an incredible champion for mental health awareness and a lot of people need your help now."
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As the video appears to be genuine, the comment section wasn't quite ready to call the truce, citing her "Karen" energy and others who say Biles had also experienced death threats so "you will be alright."
"Girl You Blocked Her To Throw Stones and Hide Your Hand, But The Internet SLAPPED THE BACK OF YO NECK AND NOW YOU THE VICTIM," one Instagram user penned. "This is amazing. Not only did she not apologize... you want her to fix what you started. Audacity. And the answer is no," a second fan responded.
Biles, who won 4 medals in Paris, clapped back as well in a mega-viral post featuring a picture of the 2024 Olympic gymnast with the caption, "Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions."
Fellow former athlete McKayla Maroney appeared in the comments, writing, "It doesn't get more iconic than this. She f'd around n found out fr. Feels like I need to apologize just to redeem my first name," referencing the fact that the two share names — but not opinions.
Biles also responded publicly when Skinner allegedly blocked her on social media, penning a bashful, "OOP I've been blocked," on her X.
