Simone Biles’ Husband Had No Idea Who She Was When They Met—Their Love Story

She may be one of the most decorated gymnasts in Olympic history, but Simone Biles’ husband, Jonathan Owens, had no idea who she was when they first met. Biles and Owens began dating in 2020 and solidified their relationship with two wedding ceremonies—a small civil event in April 2023 and a larger celebration on May 6.

Before meeting Owens, Biles dated gymnast Stacey Ervin Jr. for nearly three years. The couple split in 2020, a fact Biles confirmed in an interview with Vogue. “It’s hard being young and having that long of a relationship and then ending it,” she said, adding that the breakup was ultimately for the best. Back in 2017, she mentioned to Entertainment Tonight that before Ervin, she hadn’t had a boyfriend and had only been on a single proper date.

But what about her current romance? Jonathan Owens is also an athlete, hailing from Missouri. He played football for Christian Brothers College in high school and continued his football career at Missouri State University. In 2018, Owens was recruited by the National Football League and signed with the Arizona Cardinals.

However, his career hit a snag when he suffered a knee injury in his first year, landing him on the injured reserve list. Owens was released from the Cardinals in August 2019 but soon joined the Houston Texans’ practice squad in September 2019. By December 2020, he had earned a place on the active roster. Owens, who stands at 5’11”, wears jersey number 36 for the Texans.

The couple resides in Spring, Texas. While Biles trains at the World Champions Center in Spring, Owens practices with the Texans in Houston, just a short 26-minute drive from their home. In February 2022, Biles announced their engagement on Instagram with a heartfelt message: “THE EASIEST YES I can’t wait to spend forever & ever with you, you’re everything I dreamed of and more! let’s get married FIANCÉ 💍🥺🥲🤎 @jowens_3.”

Owens also shared the news on his Instagram, thanking his friends for helping him make the proposal special and expressing his excitement: “Woke up this morning with a fiancée 💍❤️.”

The couple’s love story began on Raya, a private social network. In a 2021 interview with the Wall Street Journal, Biles recalled how she first messaged Owens on Instagram after seeing his profile. “He would say I slid into his DMs. I saw him, and I was like, ‘Oh, he’s pretty cute,’ so I said hi…and then I saw that he was in the Houston area, so we started chatting a little bit, and then we went to hang out a week or two later.”

Biles shared that her sister played Cupid, encouraging her to invite Owens to a family lake trip. Following that introduction, Owens began attending weekly Sunday dinners with Biles’ family, cementing their relationship.

In her Facebook docuseries, *Simone vs. Herself*, Owens revealed his ignorance about Biles’ fame when they first met. “Her work ethic was really the first thing that caught my eye,” he admitted. “I never really watched gymnastics before I first started talking to her. When I met her, I honestly didn’t know who she was.”

Owens expressed awe at seeing Biles excel in her sport and the impact she has on fans. “The coolest thing for me is that I get to witness someone who is literally at the pinnacle of their sport,” he noted. “It’s motivating to see that and the impact that she has on people. We were walking past this group of girls, and they were shaking, ‘Oh my god, it’s Simone!’ This is when I kind of knew. Like, okay, yeah, she’s the real deal.”

Source: Vogue, Entertainment Tonight, Wall Street Journal