Riley Gaines reveals she's pregnant while taking a swipe at Simone Biles amid feud over trans athletes

DALLAS, TEXAS: Former collegiate swimmer and outspoken women's sports advocate Riley Gaines revealed she is expecting a baby girl with her husband, Louis Barker, whom she married in 2022.

The announcement came during a public event on Saturday, June 14, hosted by Turning Point USA’s Young Women’s Leadership Summit in Texas, where Gaines included a pointed remark aimed at Olympic champion Simone Biles, further fueling their ongoing feud over the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports.

A video from the event was shared on Instagram on Sunday.

Riley Gaines makes pregnancy announcement while taking a dig at Simone Biles

During her speech at the event, Riley Gaines, referring to one of Simone Biles' jabs directed at her, told the crowd, “I think the funniest thing about this to me, and her saying, ‘Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a man’ … How many men do you know that have this?” At that moment, she proudly revealed her baby bump, earning cheers from the audience.

She also invited her husband, Barker, to the stage to join in the pregnancy announcement, where he went on to reveal the baby's gender, saying, "The next generation that our little girl is going to be a part of, that is who you all are fighting for and who Turning Point is fighting for. And so from a father-to-be, thank you, keep fighting."

The couple also posed alongside a horse and ultrasound images, with Gaines captioning the post: "Surprise! We're 26 weeks pregnant. God is SO good all the time."

The conservative activist later wrote in an X (formerly Twitter) post, “There's something so special and providential about having a little girl. She's everything I've been fighting for & the little girl we've prayed over for years 🩷 praise God.”

What happened between Riley Gaines and Simone Biles?

Riley Gaines and Simone Biles piled up in a public feud after the gymnast publicly criticized the former swimmer for a comment she made about a Minnesota girls' softball team that included a transgender pitcher.

Gaines has been a consistent advocate against allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports.

In a pointed social media post, Biles accused Gaines of being a sore loser, referencing the 2022 NCAA Championships where Gaines raced against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.

"You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser," Biles wrote.

She continued, urging Gaines to support inclusivity rather than targeting trans athletes, "You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!"

In a follow-up post, the seven-time Olympic gold medalist took a more personal jab, writing, "Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male."

Four days later, Biles issued a public apology, which Gaines accepted.

"I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport," Biles explained as per the Daily Mail. "The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for."

Biles acknowledged the complexity of the issue, adding, "These are sensitive, complicated issues that I truly don’t have the answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect. I was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women’s sports."