'Absolutely Disgusting': Users Shocked by Former Gymnast MyKayla Skinner's Comments about Team USA – What Did She Say?

• Former gymnast MyKayla Skinner faced online backlash for her comments on Team USA's women's gymnastics.
• As the team excelled at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Simone Biles humorously responded to Skinner's remarks, earning widespread support.
• Following the backlash, Skinner apologized, stating her comments were misunderstood and reaffirming her support for the team.

MyKayla Skinner is a former prominent American artistic gymnast, who first gained significant attention as part of the USA National Team. Born on December 9, 1996, in Gilbert, Arizona, Skinner contributed to the country's dominance in the sport.

She competed at the 2014 and 2015 World Championships, earning a team gold medal in both events. The former gymnast recently faced public backlash after she criticized Team USA's five gymnasts competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Skinner's own journey to the Olympics was filled with challenges and comebacks. However, her gymnastics career has been marked by a resilient spirit.

The former gymnast, renowned for her exceptional skills on the floor, participated in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she won a silver medal in the vault.

However, in 2024, Skinner didn't make it into the US gymnastics team, which comprised Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera.

Still. Skinner was part of the USA Team as an alternate gymnast at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. However, it was in Tokyo that she was elated and proud of herself for winning a silver medal.

As Skinner stood on the Olympic podium in Tokyo, she wished her family, friends, and spectators could see her. She referred to that moment as the most memorable in her gymnastic career.

However, she still gets emotional thinking of her gymnastics journey and is prouder of the process than the reward. "The silver medal is special to me because it represents all the hard work I had put in over my whole life to get to that moment," said the former gymnast.

MyKayla Skinner also credited her consistency for winning 11 total medals at the USA National Championships. She recalled that in gymnastics, one doesn't have a lot of time to rest after competitions.

Even so, after an event, Skinner would take a day or two to rest before going back to the gym. During this time, she would eat enough proteins, sit on the couch, or lay in bed and not move for a while to recover.

After retiring, the former gymnast found a new challenge in forcing herself to stay fit as she was no longer training for anything. "Some of my favorite projects have been going on TV shows like American Ninja Warrior or Name That Tune," she divulged.

Even in retirement, Skinner continues to share her views on gymnastics and support for Team USA online. Despite her ongoing engagement, she recently faced backlash for sharing an opinion that didn't sit well with online users.

In a now-deleted YouTube video, the 27-year-old had said, "Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn't like what it used to be. I just noticed like,… I mean, obviously, a lot of girls don't work as hard. The girls just don't have the work ethic."

Skinner noted that some of the challenges were posed by SafeSport regulations. She acknowledged that while it's beneficial for athlete safety, achieving the necessary level of excellence in gymnastics requires a degree of intensity and assertiveness from coaches.

The US Center for SafeSport is an independent organization dedicated to preventing and addressing sexual, physical, and emotional abuse.

Many people were displeased with Skinner's comments and voiced their reactions. "This is so mean," a user wrote. One more person concurred, "This is just gross."

"What a sore loser!!!," a netizen wrote. An annoyed person commented, "This is absolutely disgusting on her part, no respect for the athletes who are literally the best in the world."

A person expressed, "So frustrated that this is being expressed by a former Olympian (not surprised who it is though)."

The individual emphasized that gymnastics has significantly improved with the implementation of SafeSport, expressing gratitude for the protection it now provides.

A user shared their feelings, stating they never liked Skinner but couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason, attributing it to a gut feeling. They added, "Then she opened her mouth and my suspicions were confirmed."

Olympian Chiles's mother, Gina Chiles was shocked by Skinner's statements. She commented on X, "Whoa. She really said that out loud and posted it. That's something...."

Biles also weighed on the issue with a cryptic message that seemed directed to Skinner. She wrote on threads, "Not everyone needs a mic and a platform."

Additionally, hours after Biles contributed to the USA Team's gold victory for the third time in four Olympics, she shared an Instagram photo. In the picture, the gymnast was celebrating on the podium with fellow gold medalists Lee, Chiles, Carey, and Rivera.

Her six-word caption spoke volumes and hit back at Skinner who had questioned their ability and ethics to work hard, "Lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions ❤️🥇🇺🇸."

Celebrities commented on Biles' post in support. Actress Chrishell Stause said, "Also a gold medal post. 😆🥇🥇Congrats!!!." Journalist and author Carole Radziwiłł, wrote, "Came here to say if captioning was an Olympic sport you'd get gold. Iconic. 🙌🥇."

"The Bachelorette" alumni, Charity Lawson, was among those who commented, saying, "And that's how you clear them out - the best to ever do it! Congrats 🥹🤩😍🥇." One of the gymnast followers reacted to her caption, writing, "Lol she's probably so jealous that you guys won 😂😭."

Skinner reacted to Biles' post by blocking her. Biles posted on X, "oop I've been blocked 👀🫢😂," and her followers knew she was referring to Skinner.

Jordan Chiles also posted a picture of Skinner's page on her Instagram Stories, which showed none of her content. She wrote, "When she blocks Simone."

On July 3, 2024, Skinner reportedly issued an apology in response to backlash over her recent comments. The former gymnast posted a video on Instagram Stories, clarifying that her earlier critique of the team's work ethic in a YouTube video had been misunderstood.

In the video, Skinner sought to address the confusion and correct any misinterpretations of her statements. She also stated that much of what she discussed in the YouTube video wasn't specifically aimed at the current team.

"Because I love and support all the girls that made it and I'm so proud of them. It was more about going back into my own gym," she elaborated.

Skinner noted that the work ethic now differs from the era under former team coordinator Márta Károlyi. Even so, she clarified that she wasn't endorsing Károlyi's methods, merely pointing out the differences.

Skinner emphasized her admiration for the current team, expressing that she genuinely supports and is thrilled for their success. "So anyway, sorry for anything that got out of context or seemed hurtful. That is never my intention," the former gymnast apologized.

"And seriously, throughout the video, I was so pumped for the girls, and it was so fun watching trials and doing a live with everybody," added Skinner.

Aside from the Instagram Story video, Skinner released a statement to formally apologize to Team USA and the entire gymnastic community.

She wrote, "It was not my intention to offend or disrespect any of the athletes or to take away from their hard work. Your hard work and dedication has paid off and I congratulate each and every one of you."

Skinner emphasized that her comments were a comparison between the Marta era and the present. She admitted that she had not fully addressed the emotional and verbal abuse she experienced during that time.

Still, she took full responsibility for her remarks and offered a sincere apology. Skinner reiterated that her top priority is for the sport she cherishes to continue on a path of healing and to provide a positive environment for everyone involved.

"I wish you all the very best in Paris. I will be cheering you all on! Go Team USA!," the former gymnast concluded. Aside from gymnastics, Skinner is focused on her family. She is married to Jonas Harmer and the couple welcomed their first child a daughter, Charlotte Jane on September 22, 2023.

The former gymnast said her daughter has brought so much joy into her life. She also revealed that she had always wanted to be a mom but has found motherhood to be harder than she thought it would be.

Skinner's great moments as a mom are seeing her daughter experience things for the first time and getting to live through her baby girl's eyes.

The former gymnast also mentioned that her husband, Jonas, was incredibly supportive throughout her college and Olympic journey. He encouraged her in all aspects, both within and outside of gymnastics. Now, she finds it wonderful to see him embracing fatherhood.

Just like Skinner, Biles has faced her own share of challenges. Biles, who Skinner named among her top 3 US athletes, is the most decorated US gymnast in history. She was also honored with the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022.

At the Olympic Games, Biles cemented her reputation as one of the greatest gymnasts in history, achieving incredible feats throughout her career.

Each time she competes on the Olympic stage, she captivates the nation. The gymnast has record-breaking accomplishments, including her four gold medals at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016, the first woman to have achieved this accomplishment since 1974.

As of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Biles has won a total of ten Olympic medals, which are, seven gold, one silver, and two bronze. These medals were won during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Biles faced backlash, when she withdrew from the competition during the team gymnastics final. The gymnast made the decision after a vault attempt and chose not to proceed with the competitions due to mental health concerns.

Biles experienced what gymnasts refer to as, the twisties a condition causing a loss of spatial awareness while in the air. She admitted that she had been having twisties even during warmups but decided to push on in the spirit of teamwork.

So, when competing, her body and mind were not at synch and Biles looked like she got almost lost in the air. After this event, Biles left the competition floor and eventually withdrew from the team finals. "If I could have gotten a plane and flown home, I would have done it," she acknowledged.

Biles was scared of what people would say about her on X and admitted that she thought she would be "banned from America." "Because that's what they tell you, don't come back if it is not gold," she explained.

Despite the fear, the gymnast chose to prioritize her mental, explaining that if she had continued, she might have gotten hurt severely.

Simone Biles chose her mental and physical health over competing but she said it was not easy to let the team down. The gymnast expressed that she would never forgive herself for not being able to physically support her team in the way she was supposed to.

However, even without Biles, the USA Team won a silver medal, getting edged out by the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) for the gold.

Now, despite Skinner's controversy before the 2024 Paris Olympics started, Team USA didn't lose sight of their goal. They went ahead to shine brightly on the international stage.