Simone Biles deletes X account after backlash over transgender athlete feud with Riley Gaines

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Olympic gymnast Simone Biles has seemingly deleted her X (formerly Twitter) account following a three-week-long war of words with former collegiate swimmer and conservative activist Riley Gaines. 

The public feud ignited after Biles criticized Gaines for her remarks about a Minnesota girls’ softball team that included a transgender pitcher, an issue that quickly escalated into a broader debate over transgender athletes in women’s sports.

Known for her stance against allowing transgender athletes in female categories, Biles took aim at Gaines, calling her a “sore loser” in reference to the 2022 NCAA Championships, where Gaines competed against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.

However, just days later, Biles issued an apology, acknowledging the sensitivity of the topic. According to the Daily Mail, Gaines accepted the apology, but the controversy left a lasting mark online.

Simone Biles deletes X account after explosive Riley Gaines feud

On Sunday, June 22, X users began posting screenshots showing an error message when trying to access Simone Biles’ account, sparking speculation that she may have deleted it.

Many think the backlash from her feud with Gaines may have prompted the 28-year-old gymnast, widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time, to remove her account from the platform, as per the Daily Mail.

Despite this, Biles continues to maintain active profiles on Threads, where she has 2.1 million followers, and Instagram, where she has 12.4 million followers.

Riley Gaines takes a final jab at Simone Biles after she deletes X account

Meanwhile, Riley Gaines took the opportunity to deliver a final jab at Simone on Monday, despite expressing interest just the day before in potentially forming an alliance with her.

Gaines accused Biles of holding "an incredibly unpopular and morally indefensible" viewpoint, adding that the Olympic gold medalist rightfully faced ridicule, issued a “groveling public apology,” and then deleted her account in an attempt to erase the controversy.

The former competitive swimmer, who has built her career advocating against transgender participation in sports, particularly after finishing tied for fifth place in a swim meet alongside a transgender competitor, added, “Sad to see such a phenom go down like this."

Riley Gaines and Simone Biles' feud explained

Earlier this month, Riley Gaines publicly criticized a Minnesota high school on social media for allowing a transgender athlete to compete on its softball team. This followed her previous campaign against a transgender girl participating in track events in California, as per the Daily Mail.

In response, Biles fired back, denouncing Gaines’ views as "truly sick" and making a personal remark, telling Gaines to “bully someone your own size, which would ironically be male.”

A few days later, Biles issued an apology to Gaines for the personal attack. She acknowledged the complexity of the issue, stating, “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.” 

Biles clarified that she was not supporting policies that undermine fairness in women’s sports. Rather, she objected to children being singled out for public criticism in ways that feel personal and harmful.

Although Gaines accepted the apology at the time, she continued to challenge Biles’ stance, referencing the abuse the gymnast endured at the hands of Larry Nassar to defend her own position.

Since the apology, Biles has not publicly responded to Gaines’ further criticisms nor explained her decision to delete her X account on other social media platforms.

Internet reacts to Simone Biles deleting X account after Riley Gaines feud

Simone Biles’ decision to leave X disappointed her millions of followers, but it also triggered a wave of reactions and memes across the platform.

One posted a meme of an animated character slowly backing into a bush, captioned, "Simone Biles quitting like."

Another speculated, "Simone biles deletes her twitter account for peace of mind. riley gaines can finally feel like she won something, which i anticipate is new for her, the most annoying bitch to ever get 5th place and make a career out of being a loser."

A person remarked, "It appears @simone_biles has deleted her Twitter account after she attacked ⁦ @Riley_Gaines_ ⁩, defended men in women’s sports, and issued a strangely worded apology written by her moronic PR team."

A critic slammed Biles, writing, "When you bet against women, you lose. #SimoneBiles."

One more wrote, "Simone Biles left X after asserting that men should be able to be in women's sports. She quit? Who could have seen this coming?"

"Biles has destroyed her legacy with just a couple of ill-considered knee-jerk tweets, with messages I doubt she even believes - all because she doesn't like Riley's politics," another tweet read. 

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.