Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career Money
    • Health Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes amp; Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • TIFF's Best-Dressed
    • Low Ponytails
    • 'Ungrateful Immigrant Daughter'
    • Altuzarra
    • Caitlin Clark x Nike
    1. Celebrity

    Simone Biles’ Husband Says He Didn’t Know Who She Was and Claims He’s “The Catch” In Their Relationship

    The Green Bay Packers safety has since said he's "unbothered" by the backlash.

    Danielle Campoamor#039;s avatar
    By Danielle Campoamor
    Published 22 December 2023 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Simone Biles kisses her husband, NFL player Jonathan Owens.
    (Image credit: Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    The man married to Simone Biles—the most decorated gymnast in human history—is making waves for claiming that he's "the catch" in their relationship and admitting that he had no idea who she was prior to dating.

    While appearing on the latest episode of The Pivot podcast alongside his wife, Biles, Jonathan Owens—a strong safety for the Green Bay Packers—told hosts Fred Taylor, Ryan Clark, and Channing Crowder Jr. that he "didn't know who she was" when he first connected with Biles in 2020.

    "I'm like, 'Lemme see who this is.' I never really paid attention to gymnastics, so it piqued my curiosity," Owens told the trio of former NFL stars at the time. "The first thing that I saw was that she just had a bunch of (Instagram) followers. So in my mind I'm like, 'OK, she's gotta be good.'"

    Owens was also asked if he was the "catch" in his marriage to one of the greatest athletes to ever compete, to which he replied: "I always say that the men are the catch."

    Sure, Jan.

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Owens tried to explain away his ignorance, telling the hosts that he was in college when his now-wife "won the Olympics," and because his family "didn't have NBC, we didn't have Olympics channels, and we were in (training) camp (in) late July, Early August."

    "So I'm not paying attention. I never would've had a moment where I would've watched (her compete)," he continued, adding that Biles reached out to him first, which led to the pair "texting back and forth" before they met in-person three days later.

    Biles is not only the most decorated gymnast of all time—with seven Olympic medals and 25 World Championship podiums—but she made headlines for bravely testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee after a Justice Department inspector general report detailing the FBI’s mishandling of the case against disgraced USA Gymnastics Dr. Larry Nassar was released.

    In 2017, Nassar pleaded guilty to abusing 10 of the more than 265 women and girls who said they were molested by the physician.

    Biles also changed the global conversation regarding athletes and mental health after she withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

    Owens entered the NFL in 2018 as an undrafted free agent. After signing with the Arizona Cardinals, he tore his ACL in the offseason and was cut from the team in 2019. He was later offered a spot on the Houston Texans practice squad before working his way up to a starting position and later joining the Packers as a free-agent.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Biles and Owens tied the knot on April 22, 2023, at the Harris County Courthouse in Houston, Texas. Weeks later, they celebrated a second wedding celebration in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, as reported by People.

    During the same podcast interview, Owens says he realized the undeniable impact his now-wife has when the pair were out on the town, visiting a popular cookie shop.

    "It was all these moms and they're there with their kids and we walked past and everybody stopped and just [stared]. Kids were just shaking, like, 'Oh, my God,'" the NFL player recalled.

    Since the podcast aired, Owens has received public backlash for his comments. On Thursday, the NFL player posted a wedding photo to Instagram with the caption: "Unbothered. Just know we locked in over here."

    "Clearly bothered," one Instagram user commented, "but that is why you are NOT the catch."

    Danielle Campoamor
    Danielle Campoamor
    Social Links Navigation
    Weekend Editor

    Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.

    Latest in Celebrity
    Princess Kate and Princess Charlotte with their heads together at the Commonwealth Games
    Royals Princess Charlotte Had a Special Backstage Experience Orchestrated by Mom Kate
    mariska hargitay collage from the emmys
    Beauty Mariska Hargitay and I Just Debriefed on the Emmys Over FaceTime
     
     
    Prince Harry looks at Prince William on the Buckingham Palace balcony as both wear military uniforms
    Royals Prince William's Stance on Prince Harry Has Changed to a "Cold War"
    collage of the best celebrity looks at the 2026 Toronto Film Festival
    Celebrity Style TIFF 2026's Best-Dressed Stars Are Bringing Their Fashion A-Game to Toronto
     
     
    Latest in News
    campaign photo of The Other September Issue for Substack, written by Gabriella Karefa-Johnson
    Fall fashion Gabriella Karefa-Johnson Wants Fashion to Take Note of the "Underappreciated"
    Princess Kate and Princess Charlotte with their heads together at the Commonwealth Games
    Royals Princess Charlotte Had a Special Backstage Experience Orchestrated by Mom Kate
     
     
    collage of New York Fashion Week guests and celebrities wearing the statement skirt trend
    Fall fashion New York Fashion Week's Easiest Outfit Formula Starts With a Statement Skirt
    Prince Harry looks at Prince William on the Buckingham Palace balcony as both wear military uniforms
    Royals Prince William's Stance on Prince Harry Has Changed to a "Cold War"
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.