Simone Biles: “I thought America hated me” (FBF)

Join Alex in Houston for an exclusive interview with gold medalist, Simone Biles. Simone is here to share her side of the story and what really happened at the infamous Tokyo Olympics when she withdrew from the team competition and shocked the world. She opens up about the trauma that led to that decision, what nobody knew was happening behind the scenes, and how she thought her gymnastics career was over. Simone gets real about how the nation’s backlash affected her mentally and what it’s taken to get back into the gym. She also discusses her decision to come forward about the abuse she endured under the former USA Gymnastics physician and how she’s working to heal. Simone talks about her early years in foster care and how being adopted completely changed the trajectory of her life. Then, Alex asks the question we’re all dying to know… Is Simone going to Paris? Finally, Simone gushes about her marriage, responds to Jonathan Owens’ controversial viral interview, and talks about how she’s leaning into WAG life. Get ready to know Simone Biles like never before. Enjoy!

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Alex Cooper?

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• 1:28Alex Cooper?

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• 2:09Alex Cooper?

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• 2:50Alex Cooper?

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• 3:14Alex Cooper?

  What is up Daddy Gang? It is your founding father, Alex Cooper, with Call Her Daddy.

• 3:25Speaker 01

  Thank you for coming. I'm gonna go finish my shower. Yes, go, go. Good seeing you. This is insane.

• 3:36Speaker 01

  Gorgeous!

• 4:04Alex Cooper?

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• 5:24Alex Cooper?

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• 6:08Alex Cooper?

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• 6:51Alex Cooper?

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• 7:35Alex Cooper?

  make your application be seen first only on ZipRecruiter. Try it out now by going to this exclusive web address, ziprecruiter.com/daddy. Again, that's ziprecruiter.com/daddy. Simone Biles, welcome to Call Her Daddy.

• 7:53Alex Cooper?

  I feel like we've been waiting for this for so long. Okay, we need to tell the daddy gang the story. So I would say like, I don't know, maybe like a couple of years ago, we, I don't, I don't remember who DM'd who. No, I remember you tagged me in a story that you were watching Call Her Daddy and I lost my mind because I was like, wait, she listens? Like, and then I started pressuring, I'm like, oh my God, I need to like, do better, like, I need to impress Simone, like, but it was such a cool full circle moment that we started DMing and we had this like DMing relationship here and there. And then when NBC and I started working together for the Olympics, I remember we sat down and they were like, okay, like, what person do you want to interview? And immediately I was like, Simone.

• 8:33Alex Cooper?

  And like, of course, they're like LOL, like, that's so cute, like, of course, everyone wants to interview Simone. I'm like, no, like, I need to interview her. And they're like, do you know her? And I'm like, kind of.

• 8:44Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 8:45Alex Cooper?

  We're pen pals like that. And now we're finally here.

• 8:48Speaker 01

  Thank God.

• 8:49Alex Cooper?

  It's, it's perfect.

• 8:50Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 8:51Alex Cooper?

  Okay, so we were just at your parents' gym. Watching from previous documentaries that you've done to watching it all get built to you now, like, having your own gym and how supportive your parents have been, like, what does that support mean to you?

• 9:06Speaker 01

  For me, it means the world because being adopted since I was six years old to now, it's been a long road and journey, like,

• 9:14Speaker 01

  career-wise and just like who Simone is instead of Simone Biles. So it's been a long journey, but their support means the world to me. They've never really missed a competition, anything besides 2020 Olympics, 2021, whatever we want to call it. That's the only thing they missed because they weren't allowed to go because of COVID. But other than that, they've supported everything that I have ever wanted to do, all of that stuff since I was a young girl.

• 9:40Alex Cooper?

  When you say the word Simone Biles to the world, I think everyone immediately thinks Olympian, the GOAT. And I think there's like a lot of people that probably don't know where you came from and the backstory of like, your life hasn't always just been this picture perfect situation. When you were three, you went into foster care.

• 9:59Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 9:59Alex Cooper?

  Can you just share just a little bit, like, what was going on at home that led to that?

• 10:03Speaker 01

  I was only three years old, so I learned that a little bit whenever I was older, but drug and alcohol abuse. And so I just don't think that she was around too much and people, you know, would call CPS or see us out and about. Um, so that's kind of what happened. That's when foster care came and got us and placed us into a foster home. And so, um, the only thing that I remember was just being anxious when we would go to sleep because my brother was in the room next door. And I think we were just always used to sleeping together or close or whatever because he's not that much older and mind you, we were three. And so I just had anxiety problems. So I, we were in a girl's room. They had girls' rooms and boys' rooms.

• 10:44Speaker 01

  And, um, from my knowledge that sometimes during the night or during the day, they would take kids out and replace them into a different home. And that's usually how siblings were separated. So I was just so terrified that if I woke up, my brother wouldn't be there. Even though I was with my sister, I was like, oh, we all have to stay together, kind of that thing, even from a young age. So I'd always sneak in and go sleep with him because I'm like, oh, this is my brother. You know, because I didn't understand the separation whenever at nighttime. Fast forward a couple of years later, I was at gym and I knew I was adopted from the moment we were adopted. My family told us, you guys are adopted. And I was like, cool, okay.

• 11:22Alex Cooper?

  Right.

• 11:22Speaker 01

  Great. Like, I don't know what that means, but, and then they had asked us if we wanted to call them mom and dad. And from my knowledge, I was like, perfect. Like, why wouldn't I? And so it was just super strange to me because I remember this day at gym. Um, we were talking about our families and they had said something and I was like, oh, well, I'm adopted. And it's felt like everything in the room in the gym stopped. And they were like, what? You're adopted? Because that was not to their knowledge. And I was like, why is everyone freaking out? And so I was like, well, you know, my parents, those are my grandparents, my uncles, that I call my brother now, those were my uncles. And so I just remember we all sat on the floor. Practice stopped because everybody needed to know the story.

• 12:07Speaker 01

  Like, the coaches were intrigued, everybody, they were like, you're adopted? And I was just kind of like, well, yeah, aren't you? Where'd you come from? I'm just like so confused.

• 12:18Alex Cooper?

  Right, it was normal for you.

• 12:19Speaker 01

  When they say the stork brings the babies, I'm like, how did you get here? I'm like, you weren't picked?

• 12:26Alex Cooper?

  Like, you weren't in a house and then you-

• 12:28Speaker 01

  You were adopted? So like, that was shocking to me.

• 12:32Alex Cooper?

  Did your parents ever talk to you about your biological parents?

• 12:37Speaker 01

  Kind of funny because, no, because I just, I'm not sure the relationship. Maybe because we didn't ask either. But we knew who it was as we got older. Shannon, and that's kind of what we just addressed her as. But I knew, once I got older, that that's my dad's daughter. And then that's also crazy explaining to people because I'm like, "My biological mom is also my dad's daughter, and I call him dad." So it's just like, everybody's hella confused.

• 13:05Alex Cooper?

  It's a whole family tree that you're like, "Don't make me explain it. My parents are my parents. I got chosen, feeling blessed, let's move on."

• 13:12Speaker 01

  Literally. So I'm like, if you think too hard, it just gets jumbled.

• 13:16Alex Cooper?

  So, your grandparents adopted you at six, and now they're your parents?

• 13:20Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 13:20Alex Cooper?

  Boom. How do you think that did change, though, like, the trajectory of your life?

• 13:25Speaker 01

  Everything. I have no idea where I would be without being adopted. Unfortunately, I might end up the same statistic that other foster kids unfortunately end up. And you know, at 18 years old, you get kicked out of a foster home. So then you have, you're homeless.

• 13:43Alex Cooper?

  Right.

• 13:43Speaker 01

  If you don't get into college and stuff, which most people don't graduate high school, you're on the street. So like, I fear for what my life would have looked like.

• 13:51Alex Cooper?

  Wow. I mean, it's incredible to see what you have all built together as a family. I love how in the beginning, you just quickly are like, "And then when I'm at the gym, back up." Okay. You are the greatest of all time.

• 14:05Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 14:06Alex Cooper?

  Let's talk about when you first got into gymnastics. Like, do you remember? Did you just think of it as a hobby? Were you passionate about it? Like, how did you get into gymnastics?

• 14:14Speaker 01

  We got into gymnastics, I say "we" as me and my sister, from a daycare field trip. Again, I believe everything happens for a reason. And this day, we're here in Texas, if nobody knows.

• 14:25Alex Cooper?

  Yes, we're in Texas.

• 14:26Speaker 01

  We were supposed to go on a field trip to the oil ranch. Like, how country, how Texas is that?

• 14:31Alex Cooper?

  Okay.

• 14:31Speaker 01

  And then we wind up at the gym. And because it was storming that day, so they're like, "That's an outside activity. Where are we gonna take the kids?" And so I feel like God was like, "Take the kids to the gym and see what happens." And so we end up at the gym, and I see these girls. And mind you, I've never seen gymnastics in my life. They're flipping around all of the things, and me, six years old, I'm like, "I could do that." Like, not knowing, I just like, feel like I could do that. And I'm watching them, super intrigued. Somebody does something, I do something, and then the coaches look over and they're like... Can you do that again? Like, what did you just do? Have you ever been to gymnastics? I was like, no, this is my first time. And I did it again, and they're looking at my, like, my body build. And if I show you pictures whenever I was younger, like, I was built, like, I was ripped.

• 15:15Speaker 01

  For no reason, just, that's just how I was built. And so they were like, you've never done a sport, you, your body stature is like, it's made for gymnastics. And they're like, that's not normal. And so they, they sent a letter home, and I gave it to my parents. My mom saw it, and she was like, okay, do you want to do the one with the four events? Or do you want to do tumbling, and then maybe you'll go to cheerleading? And I was like, I want to do the one with the four events. And that's how I started.

• 15:41Alex Cooper?

  It is truly fascinating that, like, some people you hear that are so great, like Tom Brady, for example. You think of Tom, and they're like, oh, he was a little awkward, and it's like, kind of crazy, but like, Tom can even like, run the way he can. For you, it's the complete opposite, where you're like, you walked into the gym, and people were like, who is that girl? And you had never done any of this before. Because I was going to ask you, like, was there ever, once you started, an aha moment? That you were like, holy shit, I'm actually really good at this?

• 16:10Speaker 01

  Never for me. Everybody else always saw it, and since I was always the smallest in my class, the shortest, I thought they would always be like, oh my god, she's so good, she's so cute, she has so much talent. I just thought it was like, what your grandmother does when she comes around every year, like, oh, you look so good. Like, I thought really that's what it was. And I'm like, you're just saying that because I'm so short. So it took a while for me to really, like, lean into my talent and to realize, oh my gosh, I could do something or be someone. Because, once I started, I did it for fun. Nobody in my family has ever done gymnastics, so they have no idea where the talent came from. My, my siblings were really good at track, but that's kind of it.

• 16:51Alex Cooper?

  Were you in school? Did people make comments about how short you were? Like, were that, you were, it seems like you were-

• 16:56Speaker 01

  Sure, yes, because, like, you could always grow. So they were like, we're just waiting for her growth spurt, which I'm still waiting. I tell God, like, finish it when I'm done with gymnastics. So, maybe we're not done yet. I mean, the doctor probably thinks my growth legs are closed, but that's a different story.

• 17:09Alex Cooper?

  I love it. You're like, it's gonna happen.

• 17:11Speaker 01

  But other than that- They all saw it. They would say like, they gave me this nickname Soldier because my muscles and all of this stuff. And so like, one time I beat this kid up on the playground because he said, "Oh, I bet you can't beat me up." And I was always the kid that if he said I couldn't do something, I'm doing it. And I think I'm still that way. Like, I'm doing it.

• 17:29Alex Cooper?

  I was gonna say, I feel like getting into this sport, any sport that at the competitive level that you're dealing with, you have to have such discipline and drive. And I'm wondering, like, where did that come from, this competitiveness in you?

• 17:43Speaker 01

  I don't know. But if I had to pinpoint, like, my parents were very hard workers. Me and my sister were pretty much always on top of our schoolwork. And we were just kind of self-driven. And I don't know where it came from, but I think it started from my parents, just seeing how hard they work, everything that they've done for us, for our siblings. It's kind of something that was a little bit taught in that nature, too.

• 18:07Alex Cooper?

  Yeah. When you do compete at this level, I know that for athletes, it's like, it's not just you committing your life. It's your entire family has to get on board. It's a lifestyle change. When do you think you guys really all decided, like, oh, as a family, we're going for this?

• 18:25Speaker 01

  Probably, the whole family started making sacrifices when my practices started going late. And then dinnertime started to change, or they would have to leave stuff in the oven or on the stove. And they were like, okay, she's really doing this. But none of us knew how far it was gonna take us to end up where we are. We just kind of thought like, oh, she's doing this, these flips. She likes it. She enjoys it. As long as she's having a good time, we're gonna let her continue. Because my parents were always the first to say, if you want to quit, let us know. We'll pull you out.

• 18:57Alex Cooper?

  Because you went to public school till eighth grade, right?

• 19:00Speaker 01

  Correct.

• 19:01Alex Cooper?

  And then you officially did homeschooling, starting high school. Did you get to have any, like, typical teenage experiences? Like, did you go to prom?

• 19:09Speaker 01

  None. The first time I danced with a boy was on Dancing with the Stars with Sasha. And it was after the Olympics. I was like 19 years old. I remember he like got in my face, grabbed me, and I was like, ah, like freaking out.

• 19:21Alex Cooper?

  Simone!

• 19:22Speaker 01

  No.

• 19:23Alex Cooper?

  No.

• 19:24Speaker 01

  Talk about like a culture shock.

• 19:26Alex Cooper?

  I was about to say, the fact, the fact, I would need to hear if there's anyone in the world that could say that statement. The first time I ever danced with a boy was on Dancing with the Stars. Icon. Icon. Like, it's giving, like, only you. Are you kidding? Okay, so you never got, did you have sleepovers?

• 19:43Speaker 01

  Some, but then at that time, we had moved like 40 minutes away. So if we ever wanted to have a sleepover, it was more like your mom drops us off, your dad brings her because like the distance. So other than that, we'd have some best friends come sleep over. But then it was kind of like, okay, if you stay around Friday, you're not leaving till Sunday. So we had sleepovers, but then again, it started turning into, sorry, I have practice on Saturday. So then go to the gym, we'll drop you off, that sort of thing.

• 20:09Alex Cooper?

  It's like your life revolved around it.

• 20:11Speaker 01

  Everything revolved around gymnastics.

• 20:13Alex Cooper?

  And if people don't play sports, like I look back, I'm like, okay, can I relate to that? I'm like, yeah, growing up, my, most of my friends were just soccer friends. Cause you're just kind of becoming this family and they're like your sisters.

• 20:23Speaker 01

  Yeah, I think in middle school, that's when the insecurities started and I kind of became a shell of myself, but I feel like nobody really understood why I was like racing to my locker to get my gym equipment. And then like at the time, our housekeeper would take me to practice and all of this stuff. So nothing I did at that point was relatable and it was very hard to not make friends, but to just keep them up because I couldn't hang out with them on the weekends. I couldn't go to Friday Night Live. I couldn't do anything on the weekends. I was going to gymnastics meet, I was doing this, that, the other. So to me, it was like, let me get my schoolwork done. I have like three friends, like at the loser table, like, and I'll do my stuff at the gym.

• 21:06Speaker 01

  And yeah, it was really hard to relate because they're doing who knows what and like.

• 21:10Alex Cooper?

  They're like texting boys on A I M and you're like in the gym.

• 21:13Speaker 01

  I don't know what that is. The only boy I know is gym.

• 21:18Alex Cooper?

  Like literally. And did you resent it at all? Like, did you ever be like, oh, why am I doing this? Like, why am I doing this to myself?

• 21:24Speaker 01

  At that point, no, because I still loved to do it and I had all my friends at the gym. And that's kind of all I needed at that point. But going into high school, I was like mad at my parents, like mad as hell. Like you figure it out why I can't do school and gym. Like you figure it out. Like some of my friends could do it because their states allowed that. And that's at the time I started doing national team camps and we missed so much school. So I didn't have a choice, but like. California, as long as you did your schoolwork. And I can't speak on the rules of the laws now, but it's just how it was back then. They could miss however, as long as they got their schoolwork done out of it. But Texas law states you can only miss X amount before they fail you, even if you do your schoolwork.

• 22:08Speaker 01

  So that just wasn't an option for us. And it's not like we were ever gonna move or do anything, cuz like Texas has kind of the best gymnastics. And that's what it was, but I wanted to go to the football games. I wanted to go to the school dances. I wanted to. But it was okay that I didn't because I knew I wasn't confident enough in my body to show my muscles. Cuz at that time, I wore a lot of hoodies. And I didn't want my muscles to show because then at that point, I'm stronger than all the boys. Because they haven't bulked up yet. And I'm just like, hey. Nobody really understood, so it was okay.

• 22:44Alex Cooper?

  Right. I get what you're saying. It's almost like it was okay for you to escape to the gym. Because you felt more confident there.

• 22:50Speaker 01

  And everybody had muscles and we all looked the same. I do remember one of my friends snuck me into high school one day. And I got to go around with her to each class. And I thought that was the best day ever. I was like, I'm in high school. And her teachers just played along with it. They were like, if the principal catches us, who knows what we'll do. But I did a whole entire day with her, and that was so cool.

• 23:09Alex Cooper?

  Well, it's incredible to look back. And as much as you sacrificed, the sacrifices clearly paid off. Because when you were 16 is when your winning streak just really began. You won three consecutive world championships. And then you went on to dominate, dominate the Rio Olympics. When you look back at that time of your life, like what does that success mean to you?

• 23:34Speaker 01

  Well, to me, I thought that's kind of where it ended. And I was like, oh my gosh, how have I reached my greatest achievement in life at 19? I was scared for the rest of my life. Like, how can I beat this? How can I top this? What the heck am I gonna do? I won the Olympics at 19, like. It's gonna be a shit hole from here on out.

• 23:56Alex Cooper?

  We're going down, no?

• 23:57Speaker 01

  No, literally, because most people don't get to go to more than one Olympics or do those things. So at one point, I was like, I did it! This is my greatest, like, this is the greatest thing that I wanted to achieve in my life. And then I was like, I did it at 19.

• 24:14Alex Cooper?

  You almost like were excited for two seconds to then be like, can I even actually enjoy this? Because this, does this mean it's over?

• 24:21Speaker 01

  Yes, and so I was scared, but at that time, you couldn't really tell me anything because I was like, oh my gosh, I did it and I knew as soon as that happens, we've watched previous Olympics. So we know how their lives change after that. So I knew it was gonna be different, but I knew that it was gonna be different every day at the Olympics. My followers go up 10,000 and then I had a million. And then I was like, what the heck is happening and why are people following me? I was like, at that point, I was like, yes, this is my greatest achievement because I've been vying for this since I was six years old, per se. But then I was like, but y'all haven't watched the come up, so why do you care? Like, this is my greatest achievement, cool? So it was kind of weird to me that people were following me because I had won the Olympics.

• 25:05Speaker 01

  Because to me, that was the biggest thing. But I was like, how's that the biggest thing for you to follow me because I won this? It was kind of weird. And then I was like, okay, I really need to find out who I am without gymnastics because I didn't think I was gonna do it again.

• 25:18Alex Cooper?

  When the rise really started, like, I think about the pressure that people put on you. It's like, oh my god, you're, you're so great. We all are looking at you, you're Simone Biles, you're, you just did the Olympics, you're thriving, you're getting gold. Like, did you ever feel like you weren't allowed to have moments of weakness?

• 25:38Speaker 01

  A lot of the time because on a lot of the teams, like, a lot of the girls looked up to me. So I felt like I was that strong person that everybody was like, oh my god, Simone's so strong, she has a strong personality. If you had something to describe me as, strong went before that word. So I felt like I could never show a sign of weakness. But I just always felt like I was the strong one for my friends, the strong ones for my family, the strong ones. So it was just kind of like, I got to a point where it was so hard for me to cry or show emotion. But I also think that came from gymnastics. It's like, throw all that out the window, work on what you need to work on, and then outside at the gym. Whatever happens, happens.

• 26:20Speaker 01

  Um, so yeah, it was weird, different, difficult. Um, but at that point, again, I'm only 19 years old.

• 26:28Alex Cooper?

  Well, that's what I was gonna say, though, Simone, like, when you're saying, like, I had to be strong, like, I'm technically, like, the older one at the gym, I've now gone to the Olympics, like, I know what I'm doing, like, you're strong for your family, like, who did you, like, go to to say, like, hey, like,

• 26:43Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 26:43Alex Cooper?

  I'm, I'm stressed, I have all these followers, I have the world, so like,

• 26:47Speaker 01

  A lot of the time, if it wasn't my sister, because we're very, very, very close. If it wasn't her, silent cries, I didn't like to see anybody, like, I didn't want anybody to ever see me cry.

• 26:59Alex Cooper?

  Why?

• 27:00Speaker 01

  Because I didn't want them to show or see that I was a sign of weakness. So it was a lot of silent nights where I would cry, because even after the Olympics, I went home and, like, we went on tour and stuff, but there would be a lot of times where I felt so alone, because, like, how many kids can relate? 19 years old, you won the Olympics, and then you have the weight of the world on your shoulders? I'm still learning, it's just like, now I'm a celebrity, I don't know what I want to do with my life, I don't know if I can do this again. Everybody's cheering me on, it's just like, it was an overnight sensation, so to speak, even though, like, people that watched gymnastics watched for the four years prior, watched my whole entire career, but to just be, like, thrown out there, I was kind of confused.

• 27:43Speaker 01

  But then somebody told me it was lonely at the top, and so I would relay that message in my head, and it was, like, positive sometimes, like, yeah, it's lonely at the top, and then other times, it was like, it felt hard and heavy.

• 27:55Alex Cooper?

  Right, you're like, I don't know if I want to be at the top, if it's this lonely, like, if it's this isolating.

• 28:00Speaker 01

  Because I'm only 19, so we wanted our lives to be as normal as possible, and so I think that's why I'm so grounded with my family and all, because we never wanted it to take over, because we've seen how, how that can happen, um. But again, I was just a kid. I was homeschooled. I didn't have much. It's like.

• 28:18Alex Cooper?

  Well, as I'm listening to you talk about this too, it's like,

• 28:21Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 28:22Alex Cooper?

  There's so much pressure that is

• 28:25Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 28:25Alex Cooper?

  put on young athletes.

• 28:27Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 28:28Alex Cooper?

  Then when you are the star athlete at a young age, there's more pressure to like grow up and become an adult soon because everyone's, everything's riding on you.

• 28:36Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 28:36Alex Cooper?

  It feels like.

• 28:37Speaker 01

  And you're under a microscope.

• 28:38Alex Cooper?

  Yeah, and then you have the press looking at you and, and fans, and you're like, now I need to become media trained and now I need to learn how to like, like know how to just handle myself again at 19 years old. And something that I'm realizing you're saying, talking about how you had to bear a lot of this on your own,

• 28:55Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 28:56Alex Cooper?

  with all of your success, then there was behind the scenes so much

• 29:02Speaker 01

  Right.

• 29:03Alex Cooper?

  fucking going on.

• 29:03Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 29:04Alex Cooper?

  And in 2018,

• 29:06Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 29:06Alex Cooper?

  you spoke out about the abuse that you endured from the USA gymnastics physician.

• 29:10Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 29:12Alex Cooper?

  I'm so curious, Simone, like, can you talk about your decision to open up about that?

• 29:17Speaker 01

  The main reason I did that is because a lot of people follow me, a lot of people go on my platforms, and I've always been an open and honest book from the very beginning, and I've always decided I'm not gonna let anything ever change me because this is who I am, so take it or leave it. But I've always been an open book, like, I was talking to my friend the other day and she was like, I met you in three minutes, we went from talking about this to like deep stuff. And it's just like, a lot of people, when they meet me, they can feel that. But it's, um, after that, I decided to speak out because I know it could help a lot of people. So if I could shine a light on whatever that is, then I'm gonna do that. But I wanted to be in a good enough place

• 30:01Speaker 01

  and to have the proper help lined up before I spoke out because that stuff was so traumatizing and I truly don't understand how I did what I did under those circumstances and how I put on a face, but you know. At some point, as an athlete, you were an athlete, so you understand, it's like, we normalize a lot of stuff, but then we push off emotions. It's like, we do so much.

• 30:27Alex Cooper?

  It's this like, you can create this like, false narrative in your head of what you should endure and what's normal.

• 30:34Speaker 01

  And that's all you know. That's all we knew. So we thought it was normal because we're all homeschooled there together. It's like.

• 30:42Alex Cooper?

  Right, you're all going through the same thing.

• 30:43Speaker 01

  Yeah, and so if we're talking to each other, and if this is happening to you, this is happening to you. Okay, cool. It's normalized.

• 30:51Alex Cooper?

  What we're talking about also is like, there's so many different forms of abuse, but like, the abuse of power is, it's such a tricky situation, and we see it so often. But like, we're having a conversation about, one, someone that you were told to trust, but also by an organization that was supposed to protect you and foster your career. And so there's so much, yes, abuse mentally, physically, emotionally, but like, I'm curious, because I think sometimes when people look at you, it's like Simone Biles, like, the face of mental health, and she's the best in this, but it's like, on the real day to day, like, this shit is fucking awful to go through. And people weren't with you on the day to day. Once you decided to speak out about this, like,

• 31:35Alex Cooper?

  how did processing this trauma show up in your day to day life?

• 31:40Speaker 01

  Well, at that point, I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, and I kind of knew I was depressed. But I hid it so well, because I train 34 hours a week, so what do I always do whenever I'm at home? I'm in my room, laying down, resting, resting, resting. But I knew this resting was very different, like, it was hard to get out of bed, it was hard to do anything. It felt like, everything felt heavy and the end of the world. And again, a lot of sleepless, crying nights, like, why me? Because I, it's just like, and then you kind of play victim, and then it seems like, again, nobody can relate to you, nobody's listening, nobody is,

• 32:25Speaker 01

  I trusted this person, this, that, the other. So it just felt very...

• 32:31Speaker 01

  I wouldn't even say dehumanizing, but it felt like I held a lot of the guilt that wasn't mine to hold.

• 32:38Alex Cooper?

  The fucking worst.

• 32:39Speaker 01

  Yes, and I think that was the hardest for me to process. And I learned through therapy like, yes, this is not my guilt to hold, but to convince myself that, because it's easier said than done.

• 32:51Alex Cooper?

  Totally.

• 32:51Speaker 01

  But to convince myself that, it was really, really hard. And I think I'm still working on that in therapy. Like, it's gotten a lot better and I feel comfortable and now I can have conversations and stuff like that. But yeah, I have good days, I have bad days, but I also know that that doesn't define me.

• 33:08Alex Cooper?

  It does not define you at all. It's an experience you went through. I do think it's unfortunate how so few people understand, though, like, this, this is something that is a part of you for the rest of your life. It doesn't define you.

• 33:23Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 33:24Alex Cooper?

  But when people are like, okay, like, it's over, it's never over.

• 33:28Speaker 01

  Yes, and that's, I think, as an athlete, that was the hardest thing for me to process too, because, you know, if you get injured, you go to the doctor and they're like, okay, three to six months, or three weeks, or whatever, and this is like, years, and I'm like, why do I not feel better? Like, if a doctor could sit down and tell me, I'd be great, because I thought like, oh, three to six months, three to six weeks, it's like, we're always on timeline with injuries. So whenever it's a mental injury or a physical injury that you're going through like that, with depression and anxiety, and nobody can give you a timeline, it feels like it's never ending. And I was like, I just don't understand, I should be fine by now.

• 34:09Alex Cooper?

  And doesn't that bring up sometimes, like, there's shame that comes with it? You're like, why the fuck is this not going right?

• 34:15Speaker 01

  Because it's like, I'm not gonna want to be in 10 years talking about this and somebody's gonna be like, God, here she goes again, but it's like...

• 34:22Alex Cooper?

  But I do think you talking about it, Simone, and that's why I think it's really important, how you said, this does not define you, but this is, it's also important to show people, when people are like, that's so sad that happened to someone, and then they move on with their lives.

• 34:34Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 34:35Alex Cooper?

  This is something that stays with people forever.

• 34:37Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 34:38Alex Cooper?

  And so, to neglect the conversation of like, acting like it didn't happen, it did, and you are who you are, but it's a piece of you and it's a part of you. I also think that's such an interesting comparison of like, if you... Mess up your ankle.

• 34:51Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 34:52Alex Cooper?

  It's visible, you can feel it, you can't ignore it. With trauma emotionally, you can shut that shit down and you can bury it so far.

• 35:01Speaker 01

  And that's the thing, we're so good at, as athletes, at doing that too. And my, um, my therapist is like, just take it out of the box. Roll it out on the floor. Like, it's fine because we're so good at like depress, depressing everything. So it's like, God. So, for so long, it's worked until it didn't anymore. And that's what you saw at the Olympics, a big ol' spill. And I was like, to me, I couldn't understand why that happened either. Cause I'm like, gymnastics, like what the heck is going on? Why is this happening? And then my, um, my therapist is like, well, we know why it happened. And I still have conversations with her to this day.

• 35:44Speaker 01

  And I'm like, hey, look, it's Olympic year. Did we figure out why that happened? And she's like, Simone, we figured out why this has happened. I was like, are we sure? Are we sure?

• 35:55Alex Cooper?

  Really? Cause it can't happen again?

• 35:57Speaker 01

  Yes, but it's like, it wasn't just a mental injury that happened called the twisties. It's like, compressing all of this shit for so many years. It just unfolded.

• 36:11Alex Cooper?

  Right.

• 36:12Speaker 01

  Like you can't, you can't compress trauma that much longer. And, and I hate to be the person that blames it on something else because I'd rather blame it on like, I have a hang now. Sorry, can't vault. Like, or whatever it is.

• 36:26Alex Cooper?

  You're like, I wish I could say like, money.

• 36:28Speaker 01

  Yes, and at that point, after I came out about it, they're like, she doesn't wanna lose. And I was like, first of all, I almost broke my leg, but it's thankfully I didn't break my leg. And I called my agent and I was like, this is a mental injury that they can't see? Do they want me to wear a helmet? I'm like, because they couldn't see it, so they couldn't relate to it. They couldn't grasp it. It's not something that I could tell them so that they could feel like if I broke my ankle, they'd be like, should I broke my ankle before too? Like I know how that feels. Of course you can't vault. But for a mental injury, nobody could understand it. So there were so many narratives thrown around, so many different excuses that were pushed on to me. And I think the shittiest part of all at the Olympics.

• 37:13Speaker 01

  I have very good like senses and I knew something was gonna go wrong. I couldn't pinpoint what it was or when it was gonna happen. But I just had this feeling deep down. This is not gonna go the way I want it to. And I don't know why, but I have this deep, deep feeling like something's gonna happen.

• 37:33Alex Cooper?

  To people that, I mean, aren't familiar, yes. You went to the Tokyo Olympics and I'm curious like, so you're saying you kinda knew like, when do you think you knew, like where were you mentally going into the Tokyo Olympics?

• 37:47Speaker 01

  I, I don't know, but I could feel something and I felt myself, besides all the pressure, because we deal with that as elite athletes. We have different tactics about how we're going to carry ourselves and how we're gonna do whatever so that we can still compete to the best of our ability, you know? But there was something that I could feel that was gonna be out of my control. And I didn't know when it was gonna happen or what was gonna happen. But I was like, I just, I felt strange, but I'm not gonna tell anybody on the team that. I'm a veteran, it's everyone's first times at the Olympics. Like, they're looking up to me and I'm guiding them, taking them through the route. But you know, nothing about that Olympics was normal anyways.

• 38:30Speaker 01

  We're having a pandemic, the whole world is shut down. Like, nothing about the Olympic Games was normal. And I feel for those athletes that might not ever be able to go to another Olympic Games because that is not what the Olympics is about. In 2016, it was so much fun, the camaraderie, the team spirit, everybody's rooting for everybody. I feel like that's world peace. Time stops, doesn't matter what color you are, what religion you are, what you support, what you don't support, everybody comes together to support their athletes in their country. So it was just very strange, but I could feel something like the wires weren't connected, like the red, the yellow.

• 39:09Alex Cooper?

  Something was off. And in training up to Tokyo, did you feel that too?

• 39:16Speaker 01

  Um, a little bit, but we had been training so hard and we were, we were prepared. Like, we were so prepared. I've never been so prepared for an event in my life. I mean, obviously, besides 2016, but this felt like a different kind of prepared. Um, and it felt a little bit more calm.

• 39:34Alex Cooper?

  Isn't that so crazy as I'm listening to you, like, you're like, I'm on the plane ride to Tokyo and I knew. Like, I knew something.

• 39:41Speaker 01

  Something that was weird.

• 39:42Alex Cooper?

  And you didn't know when, but like, that's again, like, the body just telling you, like, something ain't right. Simone, I'm, we're not good. And you're like, push it down. We are fine.

• 39:53Speaker 01

  And to me, I was like, it's fine. Take your medicine. And some of the days, we're asking my doctor, I'm gonna take two of my pills. I never take two of my pills, but I was like, something's coming up. It feels like, I don't know what it is, but like, I cannot control this. It is out of my control. So we're gonna control what we can control. Let's take your medicine. Maybe try 20 milligrams. Maybe try this. And it was just like, it was, it was the weirdest experience. And whenever I look back at it, it doesn't seem real life, which maybe is a good thing.

• 40:29Alex Cooper?

  Right. You're like, it's kind of like...

• 40:30Speaker 01

  It's a good thing till everybody reminds me.

• 40:32Alex Cooper?

  As I'm sitting here being like, so let's talk about the team final in Tokyo. I'm curious, we know what happened. You get lost in the air during your vault and everyone was shocked. But I'm curious, like, take me to the moment, literally, when you land on the mat. What is going through your mind?

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• 42:10Alex Cooper?

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• 42:45Speaker 01

  Okay, I'll start from the back of the runway when we're standing there.

• 42:48Alex Cooper?

  Go back to the runway.

• 42:49Speaker 01

  So in the back, like, we already knew my gymnastics was kind of janky, like, in training, I was having twisties already, but I'm trying to push past that. And I would literally tell the teammate, my teammates, like, I'm fighting demons. I'm fighting demons right now, but I'm gonna do it for you guys. Because like, it was, the cords were not connected. So I literally felt like I was fighting my body and my mind to do these tricks. So we're trying to do some different things in the back. And I'm like, okay, I can't do a full and off beam. Can I please go back to my double double, which is way harder? But I know if I twist more, it's better for me. So then we go to vault. Vault is feeling a little bit weird in the air and you can see it. Like, the girls, we ended on floor because we started on vault out there.

• 43:35Speaker 01

  So we end on floor, I go to do my first pass. And you can see in the air, like, you can ask the girls. It's not like my first pass is a triple double. And usually when you do it, you see my regular videos. You see one, you see two, you see three. This one, it looks like I'm going like this in the air. And it doesn't feel comfortable. I have no idea where I am. But I'm twisting, like praying, land on my feet. And they're like, "That looks jacked up." You can tell. All of the gymnasts in there, from all of the countries are like, "That's jacked up. That looks jacked up." "It looks like she's never done this a day in her life." But they know it's a twisty, so people were kind of trying not to watch. We get out there on vault, and I was like, "Okay, it's fine. I warmed up everything." Like, it wasn't good, but I did it. And so we get out there on vault, and we have a one-touch warm-up.

• 44:19Speaker 01

  Go over to the table, do a one and a half. And I'm like, "What the fuck?" Like, "What was that?" And so I'm like, "It's fine." And everybody's freaking out. I don't have another touch, so I have to go stand there until it's my turn to salute and go. I don't have another touch.

• 44:35Alex Cooper?

  And can you explain this to people that have no idea what gymnastics is? Like, they're like, "What do you mean?"

• 44:39Speaker 01

  Yes, gymnastics, once we go out there, we usually have a one-touch vault. And it is what it is. It's to warm up. You're usually sitting in the back for 40, 45 minutes. Come out, you get one turn to take to warm up your vault to perfection. And then you sit there and wait till it's your turn to salute and, "Hey, I'm at the Olympics," you know, that's your debut before, you know?

• 44:58Alex Cooper?

  Yes.

• 44:59Speaker 01

  And so we go out there. And I do the one and a half. And my teammates are shook. They're like, "Are you okay? Are you okay?" And I'm trying to convince myself I'm okay, so I don't need you asking me if I'm okay. Because I'm okay. Listen, I'm okay.

• 45:12Alex Cooper?

  We're great.

• 45:13Speaker 01

  Like, "Everything is not okay."

• 45:18Speaker 01

  Literally. And so they're like, "You're fine." And I was like, "I don't know why I did that. I don't know why." And I knew once I got up there, I'm chalking up.

• 45:27Speaker 01

  We can't put Jordan in yet. I have to go. I have to put up a score. No matter what it is over the table, I have to put up a score. So I'm chalking up, and you can see if you watch the video, I'm like...

• 45:40Speaker 01

  Because I have no idea what I'm gonna do when I hit that table. And so in my head, I'm standing there, and I'm like, "I'll just do the double pike," which I haven't warmed up in like four days. And I'm like, "If I do a double pike, over-rotate it, it's fine." And then I was like, "They put up a score for a two and a half, so I have to do a two and a half." And I'm thinking, "If I do a double back, that's so dangerous. My coach will kill me. My team will never forgive." And I saluted, and I was like...

• 46:06Speaker 01

  Praying to God, because I knew I was gonna do a vault, but I didn't know what I was gonna do. And I knew I was gonna try to do a two and a half, but I didn't know how many twists I was gonna make. And I just, because I couldn't twist anymore. It's just like your body, your brain opens up, have no idea where you are. So I opened, landed like that, and as soon as I land, I kind of grin and I'm like, and I salute, and I want to run. If I could have gotten a plane and flown home, I would have done it.

• 46:33Speaker 01

  But I just, as soon as I landed, I was like, oh, America hates me. The world is gonna hate me, and I can only see what they're saying on Twitter right now. That's, that was my first thought. I was like, holy shit, what are they gonna say about me? Because usually if you go to the Olympics and you flop, or whatever it is, everybody on their couch eating those little chips.

• 46:57Alex Cooper?

  Right, it's like you let the country down.

• 47:00Speaker 01

  Oh, I was, I thought I was gonna be banned from America, because that's what they tell you, don't come back if it's not gold, gold or bust, don't come back. And I was like, I don't, thanks.

• 47:09Alex Cooper?

  Can we just pause also, like, you landing, and the first thing that you're thinking should have been, thank God I'm alive. Because you can severely hurt yourself in those moments, and you, understandably, because this is such an athlete thing, it's like, praise everyone, get everything for everyone, and just like, sacrifice my body at all costs, and you land on the mat and you're thinking, what is Twitter saying?

• 47:35Speaker 01

  Yeah, I was like, no, I'm gonna be one of those videos, flops at the Olympics, like, this is horrible. And I knew I couldn't recover, and I knew, I know how long the twisties takes to get over, and I know it's not overnight.

• 47:47Alex Cooper?

  Can you explain also to people that aren't familiar, what is the twisties?

• 47:51Speaker 01

  Okay, if, I had to explain it in gymnastics terms, it's don't, might not make sense, but it's basically like, your mind and your body is out of disconnect, your body is gonna try to do something, and your mind is gonna be like, no, you're not doing this work, you're gonna open out, you're gonna do this, but it's the same as if, like, the best way I could describe it is, every day you drive a car. If one day you woke up and you had no idea how to drive a car, your legs are going crazy, you have no control over your body, that's kind of how it feels like, you've been doing something for so long, and you now no longer have control.

• 48:21Alex Cooper?

  Terrifying.

• 48:22Speaker 01

  Terrifying, because we're in a car without any protection. I am my car, like, so I would explain it as like, the yips in golf, or baseball, or whatever it is, I'm not familiar with. Other sports, so if I'm wrong, correct me. But that's kind of, that's kind of how it feels like.

• 48:41Alex Cooper?

  So immediately, when you get off the mat, what do you do?

• 48:46Speaker 01

  I go to tell my coach, and I said, "I'm done, I'm not doing anymore." Because if I survive that, I don't know how much else I can survive. Like, I always say I'm a cat with nine lives, but I think that was my ninth, "I'm done." And she's like, "Are you sure?" And I was like, "Yes, Jordan, gear up, you're in. You're doing the rest of the meet, I'm not, like, I can't do it."

• 49:03Alex Cooper?

  And are you like internally freaking out, but you're coming off just like...

• 49:06Speaker 01

  Internally, but I, I, I didn't want to freak out in front of the girls.

• 49:09Alex Cooper?

  Got it.

• 49:09Speaker 01

  So I kept like, as composed as I could have, and I was like, "You guys got this." And then they just went, we went to the back just to get evaluated, like mentally and physically. But we also didn't want to, I didn't want to scare the girls, so I was like, "Can we please go?" And there's cameras, all the cameras rush over, and I was just like, because I know it happened, but I also don't know what happened and why it happened. So we just went in the back, the girls are gearing up for bars, I come back out, and I was like, "You guys got this, you'll be fine, trust me." And they were like, "No, we can't do this without you, we're, we're not going to win anymore." They're freaking out because they also know what Twitter's going to say if US doesn't win. And I was like, "Don't worry about it, you guys are here because you're the best in the world, and you will be, like, go out there and do your job."

• 49:52Speaker 01

  But I think it was really hard on them because mentally, they lost their best player, the veteran, like, I think it was really hard on them. So that's something that I'll never forgive myself for, for that whole entire experience, because I wish I could have been in there with them in a way that I was supposed to, physically, putting up team scores, putting them. But after that, I became their loudest and best cheerleader. But I just wish I, it would have been contributing the way that it was supposed to happen.

• 50:22Alex Cooper?

  I think that's so hard, when you're an athlete, you understand that moment where you're like, you logically know there was nothing else you could have done.

• 50:30Speaker 01

  Nothing, nothing.

• 50:31Alex Cooper?

  But your brain is illogical when you're in those moments.

• 50:34Speaker 01

  Of course.

• 50:34Alex Cooper?

  With your teammates, where you're like, "I will literally like, die for this team right now."

• 50:38Speaker 01

  And that's what I was, that's what I was doing, that's what I was putting myself through in the back. And that's why I don't know how I made it that far through warmups, through competing. I don't know how I landed on my feet, and I think that's what people don't realize is like, that's not the vault that I was supposed to compete. I had a whole nother full twist that I was supposed to compete. So they're like, "She didn't want to lose," and I was like, "No, no, no, no, no." I'm not like... My pride is not that big, like, you know what I'm saying?

• 51:07Alex Cooper?

  Yes.

• 51:07Speaker 01

  So at that point, it's like, you know what? I need to take care of myself and I need to do what's right for my team. And yeah, I need to let my pride not get in the way and push through this just to compete, to compete at the Olympics again. I need to go sit down, take a rest, see what's wrong mentally, and let's figure it out. But let's still give my team a chance of medal contention. Because again, what people also don't realize is if I got hurt on that vault, they couldn't replace me. So if I got hurt, since I'm on every event, it's two up, two count. We would have never won a medal. But since what happened, happened. We went to the back. At that point, they could rule it as a mental injury and all of that stuff and physical. We got to put Jordan in. People don't know that.

• 51:52Alex Cooper?

  What happened in the back? Did you just try to, like, what happened?

• 51:54Speaker 01

  Doctors came over. I had to talk to my family because they were watching the Olympics and they see me get whiffs to the back, so they thought I was hurt. And I'm like, yeah, I'm hurt, my heart is broken, like, everything hurts, but my knees are fine. I'm like, my brain hurts, like, everything. So I called my family and it's so funny because my sister was sleeping.

• 52:16Alex Cooper?

  No.

• 52:17Speaker 01

  Like, bitch, I'm at the Olympics, why are you sleeping? But there's a time change, so I get it. But everybody's in, up in the house cheering for me, Simone gear on, and my sister's like, I think I'll take a nap.

• 52:30Alex Cooper?

  I think I'll sit this one out. Simone's got it. Should they wake her up?

• 52:33Speaker 01

  No, she heard the phone ring because I called the home phone. And she said she was sleeping and she felt something was wrong. She ran to the kitchen to, and said, I'll answer it, and saw my name on it.

• 52:45Alex Cooper?

  Oh, that's freaky.

• 52:46Speaker 01

  Freaky. And she answered and she said, hello? And as soon as I heard her voice, I just, I lost it.

• 52:52Alex Cooper?

  You're crying.

• 52:53Speaker 01

  I was like, I'm out, I'm done, like. And she was like, are you OK? And I was like, yeah, can you hit the phone to mom? Like.

• 53:04Alex Cooper?

  Like, "Mom."

• 53:05Speaker 01

  Yeah, like, "Come pick me up, I'm scared."

• 53:08Alex Cooper?

  Literally, "Mom, come pick me up, I'm scared." I'm in Tokyo and you're back in the United States. What did your mom say?

• 53:15Speaker 01

  She was like, "Are you okay?" Because that was her main concern, she thought I got hurt. And at that point, like, "Yeah, I wish my toe was sticking on the side of my foot, or my knees were cracked or something," because that would have been easier to explain.

• 53:30Alex Cooper?

  It's also just like, as an athlete, you're so right, it's like, the feeling of trying, it's we're supposed to be the toughest.

• 53:36Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 53:37Alex Cooper?

  We're like, "You're invincible." "What do you mean, we can't see the injury, so you're fine."

• 53:40Speaker 01

  Yeah, and it's, I'm like, "Yeah, sorry I came here, my brain just decided to have a malfunction and break."

• 53:46Alex Cooper?

  Yeah, how do you describe that to people? How do you tweet that one to the world?

• 53:49Speaker 01

  That's what I'm saying. But then, whenever I really talked about it, and there were actually a lot of people that understood, and we got a lot of positive feedback, and that's why I was like, "You know what? You're not gonna put me at the forefront of mental health, but again, if I can be a voice, let's go through this journey together, because I know, unfortunately, a lot of us are struggling, but let's walk this journey together and let's go get healthy."

• 54:15Alex Cooper?

  Absolutely.

• 54:16Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 54:16Alex Cooper?

  What are your parents like on that call? Your mom's checking if you're okay? What is your dad like in those moments?

• 54:21Speaker 01

  My dad is always so calm and collected, it seems.

• 54:25Alex Cooper?

  Yeah.

• 54:25Speaker 01

  So he was probably like, "Oh, is she okay?" But probably not even that concerned, he was probably like, "Is she okay? Okay, okay." Like, I think that's just what he was doing. My mom was like a mess, I could hear her crying and breaking down, and that's what broke me too. It's because, also, I have so many people who have helped me get to where I was.

• 54:47Alex Cooper?

  Yep.

• 54:48Speaker 01

  And I felt like I didn't just let down myself. I let down that team that was there, I let down America, I let down my trainers, I let down... There are so many people that helped me get there, and that's why every time I get to compete for Team USA, or I'm on top of that podium, I'm so grateful, and that medal's not just for me, it's for everybody that has helped me get there. So it's like, at that point, it was really heavy. Because I was like, I couldn't even, at that point, I couldn't even look at Laurent. Like, Saseel helped me so much, but I couldn't look at Laurent.

• 55:20Alex Cooper?

  Why?

• 55:21Speaker 01

  I felt like I failed him.

• 55:24Speaker 01

  And I've never said that out loud, so it's like, and they've helped me get to that point, because I never thought I was gonna do gymnastics again. And so I felt like I let down Laurent.

• 55:34Alex Cooper?

  Now, having met him, I get it.

• 55:37Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 55:37Alex Cooper?

  Like, he has such a incredibly high standard for you in the best way.

• 55:42Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 55:42Alex Cooper?

  And he's so fierce and loyal, but like...

• 55:47Speaker 01

  Yeah, he thinks, he doesn't let, he tries not to let anything get to him. And I knew that got to him.

• 55:51Alex Cooper?

  You ended up participating in the individual beam competition and won a bronze medal.

• 55:56Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 55:57Alex Cooper?

  Flex, how did you know you were okay to compete?

• 56:01Speaker 01

  I changed my routine because I didn't have to twist. Flipping wasn't necessarily the problem, it was flipping and twisting. And so, um, one of the gyms there, let me go train there. And I have like videos from that too. Um, and so, they let me change my dismount and I've done a full in for like eight or like seven years or eight years. I hadn't done double pike in like that long. So going back and trying to control that and I kept over rotating it was insane. I was so scared because my dismount is typically harder. And so I was like, okay, I can still do beam if we change my dismount. And we were able to change it and at that point, I didn't think I was gonna medal.

• 56:45Speaker 01

  I was like, I just wanna go out there, compete because this is what I came here to do.

• 56:49Alex Cooper?

  But how do you even like mentally get yourself together to like after that moment with vault? Like...

• 56:54Speaker 01

  It was like four days later, thank God.

• 56:57Alex Cooper?

  You could just like chill.

• 56:58Speaker 01

  Yeah, because I pulled out of every final, but every time I pulled out of a final, I felt like it was another night, like. So, um, I got to do beam and I was really excited. And then of course, a lot of people hated that. Well, of course she's gonna do it for herself. And I was like, you don't see me twisting, do you? Still not twisting. But, um, yeah, once the score came up, I was like, oh, thank God. Like, made a beam routine and then we saw that I was gonna medal and I hit Cecile and I said...

• 57:28Speaker 01

  What? What? I'm gonna... A bronze? And after Rio, I got a bronze on beam. And I was shunned. And people were like, "Throw that medal away, you should've got a gold," because I did mess up. Um, but we... There's no telling what the medal would've been. Um, but I did mess up, so I ended up with a bronze. And so, I was scarred from having a bronze medal, because I never really talked about my bronze, because people made me so ashamed of it in Rio. And so, whenever I got that bronze, you couldn't tell me that it was bronze. It felt like a gold to me.

• 58:01Alex Cooper?

  Right, you're like, "I'm just happy I got a medal."

• 58:02Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 58:03Alex Cooper?

  "I'm happy I got back out there."

• 58:04Speaker 01

  Competed.

• 58:04Alex Cooper?

  For people to be like, "Don't come home with that bronze." It's like, "Sorry, um, ahem, do you know how to do a cartwheel?"

• 58:10Speaker 01

  That's what I'm saying!

• 58:11Alex Cooper?

  Sorry, who are you to say, "Don't come home with a bronze"?

• 58:14Speaker 01

  Yeah, it's crazy.

• 58:16Alex Cooper?

  I'll walk my ass back into America, happily raise it around. I'll take a bronze.

• 58:21Speaker 01

  Yeah, so it's... It's just like, from one spectrum to the other, from having a real bronze to a Tokyo bronze. It's like polar opposites. Like, I'm swinging that thing around. People are like, "You know that's a bronze?" I'm like, "Ahhhh!"

• 58:36Alex Cooper?

  We got it! Let's go!

• 58:37Speaker 01

  Yeah, but you couldn't tell me that it was a bronze.

• 58:39Alex Cooper?

  Because you... You... You got it. You're like, "God bless." Okay, take me to the plane ride. I'm picturing you, you're like, getting through these Olympics at this point. You get bronze, you're like, "Time to go back home." That's a long-ass plane ride.

• 58:56Speaker 01

  Yeah, I was mentally, physically exhausted, drained. I have nothing left, and I can't put on a face anymore. Like, I physically could not wait to land in Houston, and they made us go to New York to do like, the Today Show or... And so, um, I got my hair and makeup done, whatever. Still putting on a great face, because I'm like, "All I wanna do is hold my mom and cry." I want my mom. Like, I just want my mom.

• 59:25Alex Cooper?

  And like, just for us today, so, sweetie, smile.

• 59:27Speaker 01

  Yeah. And so, as soon as we landed in Houston, again, there was, at the gate, so many cameras, so I still had to put on a face. I couldn't break down. But I hugged my mom, and I just like, felt comforted. But I couldn't break down till we got home. And guess what? When I got home, they threw a parade! And I... They were like... Get ready, Simone. We have a parade through the neighborhood. Like, get your convertible, smile and wave at it. I just wanted to have a, like, a breakdown, and I didn't want to have it. This mental breakdown, it was waiting.

• 59:55Alex Cooper?

  No, it is sitting in your chest. You're like, when can I sob? When can I sit in my bed for 48 hours and not leave and just sob?

• 1:00:04Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:00:05Alex Cooper?

  And you had to do a parade.

• 1:00:07Speaker 01

  Yeah, a parade.

• 1:00:09Alex Cooper?

  At that point, you're like,

• 1:00:10Speaker 01

  I just wanted to cry.

• 1:00:11Alex Cooper?

  Will the tears even come at this point? I've been holding it in.

• 1:00:14Speaker 01

  I just wanted to cry and be like, this was the shittiest thing ever. I don't know why it happened. I just wanted to soak in my feelings and to be by myself. And I didn't want anybody to tell me that it was okay anymore. Because I'm tired of everybody telling me it's okay. It's okay to you. It's not okay to me. What happened was not okay. Like, so that, that was that.

• 1:00:36Alex Cooper?

  So when did you break down?

• 1:00:37Speaker 01

  Probably when I had to unpack that suitcase. And then I went on tour, and I was hosting my own tour across America, Gold Over America, which was absolutely amazing. The fans, the kids, beautiful. Uh, we put together an amazing production. But like, even before some of those shows, I had therapy. Say my, I can't recall what time our show started, but say it started at 7.

• 1:01:01Speaker 01

  I would be on therapy from like 4:30 to 6. And then I would give myself an hour to get ready. And some days, Jordan would come in my room, because I had my own room. I'd be bawling my eyes out trying to put on my makeup, because I'm talking to my therapist about the Olympic experience. Put on my face, "Wow, hi, Gold Over America. Love to see you." Like, crazy.

• 1:01:26Alex Cooper?

  It's like,

• 1:01:27Speaker 01

  Yeah. It was fun, and, and I will cherish every stop and every show that we got to put on.

• 1:01:33Alex Cooper?

  Totally.

• 1:01:33Speaker 01

  But it was just like, behind the scenes, just nobody knew.

• 1:01:36Alex Cooper?

  Well, no, and that's what I appreciate you sharing that, because it doesn't take away from you, an amazing experience with those people. But it's like, again, shows the level of strength you have of like, you know Simone Biles, the public person, and what she needs to do to show up. But like, were you, and I don't want you to share what you're comfortable, because therapy is sacred, but like, in those sessions, are you going beat by beat? Or are you just talking about the overall feeling and experience?

• 1:02:04Speaker 01

  For me, since, again, it was a new therapist, um, which I,

• 1:02:09Alex Cooper?

  Is that good or bad timing?

• 1:02:11Speaker 01

  It was a new therapist and every time I'm with a new therapist, it feels a little bit uncomfortable. So I like to start by saying like, hey, I'm like an onion, let's peel the layers. Like, I'm an open book anywhere else, but with trauma, it has to be, it has to be by layers because, listen, I still have to put on face, I still have to go do these shows, I don't, you know, um. So it was kind of layers by layers, but like, the compartmentalizing that we do as an athlete, and just as a human, I know a lot of us do it, was insane and I don't know how I got through it. But honestly, I think the tour helped me get out there and realize there's more to life than gymnastics.

• 1:02:49Speaker 01

  And I honestly thought, since I didn't compete at the Olympics in the way that I was supposed to, and that we didn't win gold, I thought nobody was gonna show up to my tour stops. And night after night, it kind of filled my cup up. Because all of these girls and the fans came out. And I remember after a show, sometimes we get to see our family, but since COVID, it wasn't too much family. But my family and um, some of the producers were at a show. And we were in the back, we were eating dinner after the show. And I broke down crying and I was like, I cannot believe people are still showing up. Why are they showing up? We didn't win.

• 1:03:32Speaker 01

  And that's when I realized, like, holy crap.

• 1:03:37Alex Cooper?

  It's not about that.

• 1:03:38Speaker 01

  Yeah, but I always thought it was because that was ingrained in my head and that's what everybody told me.

• 1:03:43Alex Cooper?

  That's heavy.

• 1:03:44Speaker 01

  Yeah, it was, it was crazy. I've learned so much about myself in such different Olympic experiences. That now, having another Olympic year in a cycle, like, it's traumatizing in a way to walk into. But I feel like at this point, nothing can break me. It's like, I've just been through so much, so much trauma, so much healing. I'm actually excited to see what happens.

• 1:04:08Alex Cooper?

  Yeah.

• 1:04:08Speaker 01

  After this.

• 1:04:09Alex Cooper?

  I was gonna say, like, in a, in a strange way, because I was thinking about, I'm actually like, I feel like I, I can visualize oddly, like, that scene of you opening that suitcase.

• 1:04:20Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:04:21Alex Cooper?

  And just like, sitting there with. It in front of you of like

• 1:04:25Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:04:26Alex Cooper?

  And and the emotions and everything you're feeling from what you just tried to run away from kind of

• 1:04:32Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 1:04:32Alex Cooper?

  Sitting there going now to this new phase. It's a little traumatizing, you're right, to be like, am I gonna do that again?

• 1:04:40Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:04:40Alex Cooper?

  Like, I gotta do-

• 1:04:41Speaker 01

  Like, I'm gonna put myself through this.

• 1:04:42Alex Cooper?

  Right.

• 1:04:42Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:04:43Alex Cooper?

  When you were home, when was the first time you tried the vault again? Like, did you go immediately into the gym? What was the situation?

• 1:04:51Speaker 01

  Um, that's what I wanted to do, but since we had tour, there was no way for me to really get into a gym and train like that, but I was so traumatized, so after tour, I kinda put it under the rug, that's for another time. I would go into the gym and train, like, play around, I wouldn't say train. I would go into the gym, go see the girls, and I would just go jump on the trampoline and do backflips, back tugs, like, people call backflips, that's why I'm saying backflips. But I would go do back tugs and even that felt kinda weird. Cause I'm like, whoa, but I hadn't done that in a year, cause I took off a year or more. And every time I went to the gym, it was kinda traumatizing. And so every time I'd flip, I just like flashbacks to Tokyo, oh, I'm gonna get lost, I'm gonna get lost.

• 1:05:36Speaker 01

  And, um,

• 1:05:39Speaker 01

  Laurent would always come over and he's like, okay, go into the pit, let's do a full. And I'm like,

• 1:05:45Speaker 01

  I, I, I'm here to see the girls, I just wanted to jump on the tramp.

• 1:05:49Alex Cooper?

  Like, I'm just like here to jump on the trampoline, like, calm down.

• 1:05:51Speaker 01

  He would make me twist and go back to the basics and I wasn't even training, I literally would just come visit. And he didn't want me to have that feeling because and and before that, I would watch gymnastics on TV and the girls would be twisting and I'd be like cringing, I'd be like, oh my god, oh my god, I'm gonna throw up, I can't. Cause I can't picture myself doing it. Because I took so much off.

• 1:06:12Alex Cooper?

  What was the lowest point of the entire Tokyo aftermath and experience?

• 1:06:22Speaker 01

  I would say it wasn't even in Tokyo unfortunately. I think it's whenever I decided to come back and train and getting over those demons. Because there were so many days I would come back in the gym. And it was like one step forward, five steps back. One step forward, five steps back. Because as soon as I got lost, one time, get lost, pack my bags, I'm out of there. Why am I putting myself through this? Hell no. So I would literally like, I left so many times. It was frustrating for both me and Laurent because he didn't fully understand the twisties. And for a lot of the time as gymnast, we know what happens, but it's very unspoken of. And whenever it happens, you pretend it doesn't happen.

• 1:07:05Alex Cooper?

  Why? Why is that?

• 1:07:07Speaker 01

  It's not a good feeling, it's dangerous, it's like horrible, it's scary.

• 1:07:13Alex Cooper?

  But you don't want to speak up because then you're like, I don't want to be out.

• 1:07:16Speaker 01

  Yeah, and then the other girls will look at you and they feel like once you get lost, it's gonna happen to them.

• 1:07:21Alex Cooper?

  Got it.

• 1:07:21Speaker 01

  So it feels contagious.

• 1:07:23Alex Cooper?

  Interesting.

• 1:07:24Speaker 01

  So whenever they were looking at me and doing it, it's just like, it's so weird. And so we, yeah, we had to go back to the basics and honestly, like, the whole year, whenever Laurent, last year, he told me I was competing. I was like, how can I compete? I'm not over the twisties yet. Because every time I went to bars or beam or floor, I was praying that I did the amount of twists I was supposed to. Like I was so traumatized for this experience that I'm just now feeling better. And even walking into the gym, some days I feel like I'm gonna get lost. Because I know why it happened, but like, I'm like, that's the reason. So, um, yeah, even, I'm just now feeling comfortable without, yeah.

• 1:08:10Speaker 01

  So it's crazy because like, I went through world championships, everybody's like, she's back. And like, if we would have had one more day of world championships, I think, just mentally from... Convincing myself that I can do it so many times. And you're fine, twisting, twisting. I think I would have just broke down and been like, I just can't like, mentally, I couldn't do it anymore. Not physically, I think physically I would have been able to do it. But if there were one more day of Worlds, I wouldn't have done it.

• 1:08:36Alex Cooper?

  Because it's, I think what people I hope understand is like, there's this mental like taxing aspect of like, when you fail at something, you can't unsee it.

• 1:08:44Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 1:08:45Alex Cooper?

  You can't unfeel it. So you're trying to remove yourself and you're trying to push it as far away as possible.

• 1:08:49Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:08:50Alex Cooper?

  But your brain has experienced it once, so you need to be so mentally strong to lock that so far in the corner.

• 1:08:57Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 1:08:57Alex Cooper?

  But it's hard.

• 1:08:58Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:08:58Alex Cooper?

  So when did you approach your coaches and say, I want to come back?

• 1:09:05Speaker 01

  It was kind of funny because the conversation didn't go how I thought it was going to go.

• 1:09:10Alex Cooper?

  Okay.

• 1:09:10Speaker 01

  And so I think I requested a meeting or whatever with Cecile and Lorraine and we ended up at their house and brought my husband, you know, my little blanket. And I was like, okay.

• 1:09:23Speaker 01

  I want to go back to the Olympics. I want to do this. And they're sitting across the table and they look at me and they're like, no. And I was like,

• 1:09:33Speaker 01

  I just want to go to the Olympics. Like, I want to go back to the Olympics. Let's do this.

• 1:09:36Alex Cooper?

  Right, like scream for me?

• 1:09:37Speaker 01

  Yes. And they were like, no. And I was like,

• 1:09:46Speaker 01

  I'm like, what is going on? And they were like, no, you've set expectations for yourself for so long. Let's just go back in the gym, get in shape and see what happens. And I was like, so we're not going to the Olympics? We're not training for the Olympics?

• 1:10:05Alex Cooper?

  You're like, we ain't going to Paris?

• 1:10:06Speaker 01

  Yes. So that was really weird to me because I thought they were going to be on board, like, yes, we have the process laid out.

• 1:10:15Alex Cooper?

  Let's go.

• 1:10:16Speaker 01

  And they just said no. And I was like, Do I get new coaches? Do I think what's going on? And I was like, oh, you're right. And he was like, let's not just think about the Olympics right now. Let's think about maybe getting your skills back, twisting comfortably again, doing this. And I was like, oh, those things?

• 1:10:37Alex Cooper?

  Oh, that would be fun.

• 1:10:39Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:10:39Alex Cooper?

  But then can we go to the Olympics?

• 1:10:40Speaker 01

  Yes. And that's kind of how we started it. And then I didn't think I was competing at classics last year. And he was like, yeah, you're competing. Here's your Leos. Here's this, here's that. I was like, what? That we weren't going to the Olympics?

• 1:10:57Alex Cooper?

  So I can officially ask and you can confirm like, the goal is to go to Paris.

• 1:11:02Speaker 01

  If all goes well, I'm training. Yeah.

• 1:11:06Alex Cooper?

  The goal is to go to Paris.

• 1:11:08Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 1:11:09Alex Cooper?

  So if you're going to Paris, how are you approaching the games differently compared to previous years?

• 1:11:16Speaker 01

  I think just working on my mind and my body more than I have, or continuing to work on my body and my mind, just like I have the past year and a half. And it's worked and sort of just stay on top of that. It's exhausting, but like I have to do it. It's, it's working. I didn't think therapy was going to work and it's working, so.

• 1:11:35Alex Cooper?

  Therapy is the most incredible thing that I have always said to people like, you do though, need to get into it when you're ready.

• 1:11:41Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 1:11:42Alex Cooper?

  It's like so many people can tell you to go. And if your body and brain is not ready to go, it's not even going to penetrate. You're going to be like, I don't feel shit.

• 1:11:49Speaker 01

  Yeah, and you're not going to open up. You're not going to talk. You're not going to be vulnerable. You're not going to let those demons out. So it worked out for the better.

• 1:11:56Alex Cooper?

  I think I saw an interview of you where you were like, which I kind of loved. You were like, people ask you your goals if you're, you know, for the Olympics. And you're like, I'm not sharing my goals because I'm so sick of people then like shoving them in my face if I don't.

• 1:12:09Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 1:12:10Alex Cooper?

  Hit it. And I think that's good for you to set boundaries with press. Can I ask though, like a personal, like not having to do it gymnastics, a personal goal mentally for you that you're going to carry through?

• 1:12:23Speaker 01

  I would say to keep up with my therapy, even on those hard days, because I have dodged a couple of tests.

• 1:12:29Alex Cooper?

  Oh, yeah.

• 1:12:30Speaker 01

  You're like, sorry, I'm like a little busy.

• 1:12:31Alex Cooper?

  That's so relatable. You're like.

• 1:12:33Speaker 01

  And she knows I have my days off, so I do it the same day every time. And she's like, Simone, Simone, are you there? And I was like, no.

• 1:12:40Alex Cooper?

  Sorry, I'm not here. That's the worst when your therapist calls you out and is like, why, I know you're free. And you're like, no, I'm not. And they're like, and those are the ones that they always get mad at you because they're like, those are the sessions you need the most.

• 1:12:53Speaker 01

  That's what she tells me. But you know, my phone's on.

• 1:12:56Alex Cooper?

  Do not disturb.

• 1:12:58Speaker 01

  You're like, I can't hear you.

• 1:12:59Alex Cooper?

  I missed that.

• 1:13:01Speaker 01

  I'm like. But I feel so guilty and so ashamed.

• 1:13:05Alex Cooper?

  I do too. When I ghost my therapist, is there anything more toxic than ghosting your therapist? This is like the most toxic because it's the healthiest relationship you're in. But like so toxic.

• 1:13:16Speaker 01

  So bad.

• 1:13:17Alex Cooper?

  Sometimes you just, you can't.

• 1:13:19Speaker 01

  We need a break.

• 1:13:21Alex Cooper?

  Sometimes I don't want to talk my feelings too much.

• 1:13:22Speaker 01

  And sometimes it's like exhausting. I just feel like a record on repeat. And again, it goes back to like, I feel like I should be healed by now. Now you're shoving this down my throat.

• 1:13:33Alex Cooper?

  I hope you, and I know this to anyone going through mental health situations or survivors, whatever it is, like it is not on you to speed up the process of recovery from trauma. That was not your fault. And so it's hard to, again, as athletes, you're trained to get over things so quickly. But this is one thing you have to like rewire your brain to be like, it's okay to feel this and don't shove it away. Call your therapist. Talk it through.

• 1:14:06Speaker 01

  No, 100%. I agree. And I think I've learned that with my therapy over the years. So I am very grateful that I'm in therapy and thankful for the resources we have because before this, like no athlete was very outspoken about doing therapy or this, that, the other, or even just getting help. So we are in a very fortunate situation that we're able to do that. And we're allowed to be vulnerable with our fans and with our community. So I guess I just want to say thank you to them too, because without them, we wouldn't be able to do what we do. So.

• 1:14:39Alex Cooper?

  Okay, this is still call her daddy. So I want to talk about your husband. You're married to an NFL player, Jonathan Owens.

• 1:15:05Alex Cooper?

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• 1:15:46Alex Cooper?

  Let me tell you something, when I am hungry and I am trying to figure out what to eat, sometimes you can just actually become so, you're angry. You're like, I am busy, I'm hungry, I'm getting hangry, I'm getting angry, what can I eat? I need something hot and delicious and low maintenance. Well, introducing Stouffer's dinners are not only delicious, they're done in a flash. Serve up their classic lasagna, chicken pesto, or carbonara for two. Whatever you're craving, Stouffer's is your hot, delicious, easy meal fantasy. When the clock strikes dinner, think Stouffer's. You can see all the delicious options at Stouffer's.com. You're married to an NFL player, Jonathan Owens. You met on Raya.

• 1:16:30Alex Cooper?

  Which first I just want to say like, God bless you, because I had no luck on Raya. Okay, girl, like, Raya was just doing nothing for me, but like DJs in Australia.

• 1:16:37Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:16:38Alex Cooper?

  So good for you.

• 1:16:39Speaker 01

  You didn't have...

• 1:16:40Alex Cooper?

  I had no luck.

• 1:16:41Speaker 01

  I could have put your, I could have changed your setting.

• 1:16:43Alex Cooper?

  Thank you, okay, well.

• 1:16:44Speaker 01

  Your, your settings were up!

• 1:16:47Alex Cooper?

  Were they?

• 1:16:48Speaker 01

  Athletes check, 5200 miles.

• 1:16:51Alex Cooper?

  Listen, I had enough of my days with athletes, okay? It's moment I had to move on. Um, what made his profile stand out?

• 1:17:00Speaker 01

  I think... First of all, boys are so different from girls because like we're picking the cutest backgrounds, the most aesthetically looking pictures like and I wanted him to see, I didn't want to really show that I was a gymnast, so I didn't want to put like a gymnastic picture in there unless he had to click on my Instagram and then see I was a gymnast. So I, I didn't want them, that to be the first impression. Um, so I was like, okay, face, not that much makeup, this, that, the other. But what stood out on his profile was just like, he seemed so charismatic. He had these little dimples, you know, the light eyes. And I was like, oh, he's so cute. And I think he had his bulldog on there. He has a dog. This is so cute.

• 1:17:45Alex Cooper?

  That's how, I mean, note to men listening, even if you don't own a dog, take a picture with the dog and put it on your profile because it will work.

• 1:17:52Speaker 01

  To me, if he had a dog, that meant he was responsible.

• 1:17:56Alex Cooper?

  I love that you think that is the first thing. Meanwhile, I'm like, oh, he's so cute. Is that him laughing back there? Someone's laughing.

• 1:18:03Speaker 01

  But listen, then I went to his profile and I didn't know I was his nephew and I was like, he has a kid!

• 1:18:08Alex Cooper?

  Oh no! You thought he had a kid?

• 1:18:11Speaker 01

  I thought he had a kid. But then, you know, my soccer skills, our soccer skills, I...

• 1:18:15Alex Cooper?

  30 seconds, you figure it out.

• 1:18:17Speaker 01

  Figured it out.

• 1:18:17Alex Cooper?

  You figured it out, everyone. Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course.

• 1:18:20Speaker 01

  So it was okay.

• 1:18:21Alex Cooper?

  When did you start to realize he was the one?

• 1:18:24Speaker 01

  You!

• 1:18:25Alex Cooper?

  I know, I know.

• 1:18:27Speaker 01

  Actually, and this is so cliche because everybody says this, but like the first time I met him, I came home from like our little date and stuff and my friends were at my house and I was like, I'm gonna marry him. Like who says, I don't know why I said that. I don't know what it is, but I just felt something. It would just like felt different.

• 1:18:44Alex Cooper?

  Like what? Like the energy or?

• 1:18:46Speaker 01

  The energy, how well we got along and like, it was a COVID relationship. It was like March of 2020, whenever I went over. I had to go to his apartment to meet him. It wasn't in a public setting and we knew it didn't want to be public because we're both like public, they just take pictures, whatever.

• 1:19:04Speaker 01

  But to go to his apartment, I was like, for a first date. But we had no other choice. Everything was really shutting down in our city. Like that week, everything was starting to shut down. And so for me, I was like, let's just do a playdate with the Bulldogs. And he was like, because I have a Bulldog too. And he was like, well, no, because then we'll be distracted by the dogs. And for me, I kind of sometimes like distractions that's away from me. So that like, if it's awkward, I'm like, oh, my dog, look at her.

• 1:19:33Alex Cooper?

  The dog is sitting on the floor.

• 1:19:35Speaker 01

  Literally, so he was like, no, not for the first date. Then we'll introduce them like, and I was like, okay. But then I walked in and his dog was so excited, he peed all over the floor. And I was like, I was like, maybe girls aren't here very often.

• 1:19:52Alex Cooper?

  Great sign.

• 1:19:55Speaker 01

  He's never seen a girl. The dog has never met a girl.

• 1:19:57Alex Cooper?

  Context clues, Simone, you're genius. You're like, they've never seen a woman. Or even the delusion, you're like, they've never seen a woman. The delusion. What is married life like?

• 1:20:08Speaker 01

  To me, I mean, God, we were together the whole entire time. And then as soon as we get married, Green Bay's like, hey, we want to sign him. So we went from our wedding, dropped our bags, flew out the next morning, signed a Green Bay. And they were like, see you Monday, Jonathan. So as soon as we got married, it was long distance. So it was very different. Now he's back home. Now we're getting back into the groove of things. Because we're both on our schedules, we're both athletes. And I think that's what is so nice about our relationship. It's like we get to focus on our sports respectively. And then we get to focus on each other. But it's no different, we're still dating, you know? We're about to be four years in. So yeah, married life is no different.

• 1:20:48Alex Cooper?

  Okay, Jonathan, if you're listening, I don't even know if he's in this house yet.

• 1:20:52Speaker 01

  I think he is.

• 1:20:53Alex Cooper?

  We have to talk about the viral moment. Like, we have to do it.

• 1:20:57Speaker 01

  I knew you were gonna ask.

• 1:20:58Alex Cooper?

  I have to, I have to. Jonathan's viral interview where he said he had no idea who you were. And the internet went insane. What was your reaction when you heard the interview and everything?

• 1:21:10Speaker 01

  I was in the room. I was sitting on the chair, you just couldn't see me on the videos. I was there for the whole entire video.

• 1:21:18Alex Cooper?

  And you were feeling great?

• 1:21:19Speaker 01

  I was feeling great, I was like, my man just killed that.

• 1:21:24Alex Cooper?

  Stop, stop.

• 1:21:25Speaker 01

  And I'm so excited and like, they even panned over to me with that viral moment and I just like roll my eyes and laugh because like, but the funny thing is, is whenever I met Jonathan, we were texting that week and I, at that point, I'm like, okay, I don't have time to waste, so if we're gonna meet, Chris, if it goes over a week, you're not meeting, like, forget this, you know? And so we met that week, but whenever I would text him, anything I text him, he would say, "I can do that, I can do that." So he could do everything. He was a comedian, he was a dog trainer, he was the best cook out there, he was the fastest runner, he could do everything and that cracked me up about him, so I couldn't wait to meet him to be like, "You're not funny, you're not a good cook."

• 1:22:08Alex Cooper?

  You're not shit.

• 1:22:09Speaker 01

  Literally, so I just thought that was funny because, and I thought that was cute, that he thought he was good at everything because I'm like, "I'm good at gymnastics." And he's like, "I'm good at everything." And so whenever we did that, he did that interview, I thought everything was okay.

• 1:22:26Alex Cooper?

  I'm dying that you're in the corner.

• 1:22:28Speaker 01

  And then I go on Twitter and everybody's like, "Divorce this man, he's mean." And I'm like, "He's the sweetest." He like, he praises the ground that I walk on, like, truly, I've never met a man like him, he so opens my doors, he so, and I'm not saying that to be like, he still opens my doors because that's to be expected of men, but like, he truly goes out of his way to do anything for me. Today, I was like, babe, I'm at the gym and I forgot my camera, can you bring it? And I meant to bring it to this house, he brought it to the gym!

• 1:22:58Alex Cooper?

  No, no.

• 1:22:59Speaker 01

  Like, he's just so sweet.

• 1:23:00Alex Cooper?

  Right, he's just doing things like, you, you feel loved and you feel supported and obviously...

• 1:23:05Speaker 01

  Yes, I didn't think anything of that interview, and he never said I wasn't a catch, he said he was a catch. Because he is, I've never met a man like him, a lot of people that meet him are like, "Oh my gosh, like, I want a man like that, like Jonathan." Like, a lot of the girls at the gym, they love him, he's so nice to them, he supports them, he's so sweet. One of the girls at the gym, she's like my little sister, and we had gone to, I think we were at camp. And I always drive her to camp, so she drops her car off at my house and she parks it in the driveway. He got her windows tinted. He was like, "You can't be fish-balling out here," and got her windows tinted. Like, he's the sweetest-

• 1:23:40Alex Cooper?

  Like, he's thinking of the little things.

• 1:23:41Speaker 01

  Yes!

• 1:23:42Alex Cooper?

  I think what's crazy is, first of all, just as we know, the internet, like, you never know what's gonna go viral.

• 1:23:48Speaker 01

  And they'll take it and run, and that's exactly what they did.

• 1:23:50Alex Cooper?

  Why do you think people got so upset?

• 1:23:53Speaker 01

  Because he wasn't, he, first of all, that interview had nothing to do with me. It was all for him. So I think they were mad that he didn't include me in the interview. But he has to have his moments too, and I let him have it. Whenever I go to football games, like, sometimes I get field passes, but I'm not like, "Hey, look at me! Simone Biles is here! I just wanna see my man in that uniform. Give me a little kiss. Good luck out there." It's like, this is his moment, that's his interview. What was I supposed to interrupt that interview and be like, "Hey, da-da-da-da-da."

• 1:24:25Alex Cooper?

  Right, like, you're like, I actually like that you're like, sometimes I'm like, I wanna have my wag moment on the field where I'm just like, "I'm not Simone Biles, the Olympian. I'm just Simone Biles," like, and that's my boo on the field.

• 1:24:34Speaker 01

  Yes, and I love to support him, so I think that they were mad that whenever they said he-

• 1:24:40Alex Cooper?

  Yeah.

• 1:24:40Speaker 01

  And by the way, like, he said it, but Brian Clark, like, said it so many times, like, "Yeah, so you're saying," so it was kinda hyped up, you know, boys, whatever, like-

• 1:24:48Alex Cooper?

  Yes.

• 1:24:49Speaker 01

  Those conversations, or drinking their little tequila, whatever it is. So I think that was the thing. If it was that girls' moment, it's just different. That was like their fireside chat, that they're outside, hanging with the boys, whatever, like, there was no, there was nothing foul about it.

• 1:25:05Alex Cooper?

  When that was all going crazy and trending, what are you guys saying to each other?

• 1:25:09Speaker 01

  I thought it was hilarious what people were saying, "Divorce him, divorce him," all of this crazy stuff. And like, he doesn't even like to say divorce. He's probably dying right now that I've said it like six times in a row.

• 1:25:18Alex Cooper?

  Divorce.

• 1:25:18Speaker 01

  Yeah, literally.

• 1:25:19Alex Cooper?

  Divorce.

• 1:25:20Speaker 01

  Because like, that's, whatever. So I thought it was hilarious at first, and then they hurt my feelings. And then like, one night, I got broke, I broke down, and I'm like, "Why are you guys talking about my husband like this? Like, you don't know him, you don't know who he is, and if anybody's met him, they know he's the sweetest guy and will do anything for anybody."

• 1:25:39Alex Cooper?

  Yeah, it was just perceived in not the correct way.

• 1:25:41Speaker 01

  Yes, and so that really hurt, that they were talking about my husband like that. Because for me, it's like, "Talk about me all you want." But don't come from my family, never.

• 1:25:51Alex Cooper?

  Yeah.

• 1:25:52Speaker 01

  Like, because I've been in the limelight long enough where I can brush things off, have my little powwow about it, you're not gonna know I cried about it, but I'd be crying about some stuff.

• 1:25:59Alex Cooper?

  You know?

• 1:26:00Speaker 01

  But, I'm also, I only cry about it because I can't clap back, just know that.

• 1:26:05Alex Cooper?

  Why not? Why couldn't you?

• 1:26:07Speaker 01

  I hurt their feelings.

• 1:26:09Alex Cooper?

  You're like, you don't want me to clap back?

• 1:26:10Speaker 01

  Yeah, and it's just like classy, you know?

• 1:26:15Speaker 01

  But, yes, because whenever I was younger, I used to have Twitter fingers too.

• 1:26:18Alex Cooper?

  Oh, okay.

• 1:26:19Speaker 01

  Like, my agent, like, "This one can you take down?"

• 1:26:21Alex Cooper?

  No, no.

• 1:26:21Speaker 01

  You know, because I would go off on people because who are you to say? And so every now and then, if I say something, it's like slick and clever, but I can really go there.

• 1:26:30Alex Cooper?

  Yeah, you're just like, it's better to not.

• 1:26:32Speaker 01

  Exactly, yeah.

• 1:26:34Alex Cooper?

  Okay, Jonathan has never-

• 1:26:36Speaker 01

  They're in the drafts.

• 1:26:37Alex Cooper?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:26:37Speaker 01

  They're in the drafts.

• 1:26:38Alex Cooper?

  You draft them and you never send them?

• 1:26:40Speaker 01

  Because if I at least type it out, I feel better.

• 1:26:42Alex Cooper?

  I hope someone hacks your Twitter and just rips. Can you imagine? We're like, damn, damn.

• 1:26:47Speaker 01

  Because they're like quoted.

• 1:26:48Alex Cooper?

  Literally. Um, okay, Jonathan has never gotten to go to the Olympics before with you. What are you most excited about for him to experience?

• 1:26:57Speaker 01

  Well, hopefully he gets to go because that's usually like their training camp. And he's working on a new contract, so hopefully he'll work in his new contract at least like two days.

• 1:27:07Alex Cooper?

  Yeah.

• 1:27:07Speaker 01

  Like, even if it's like, hey, personal day.

• 1:27:10Alex Cooper?

  Yeah.

• 1:27:10Speaker 01

  Um, but some teams are really, really nice about like, if you work with their family relations, some are more family oriented than others, so fingers crossed we'll get to see him in the stands. So, I'm excited for him to see that, um, one, I'm excited to see him to see the Olympics because football's not in the Olympics. And he always says it's like the hardest sport, it's universal, and I'm like, so why isn't it in the Olympics? If not, every country does it.

• 1:27:38Alex Cooper?

  Period.

• 1:27:39Speaker 01

  But, um, no, just to see that spirit and I'm at Paris, I think they'll do a beautiful job. And he doesn't travel overseas too, too much. The first time he, um, went overseas was like when, I think he was on the Texans and they went to London. Like, he had to get a passport, he never had a passport before.

• 1:27:57Alex Cooper?

  Oh, so you're like, "Come with me, babe."

• 1:27:58Speaker 01

  Yes!

• 1:27:58Alex Cooper?

  "Let me show you the world."

• 1:27:59Speaker 01

  Yeah!

• 1:28:00Alex Cooper?

  Literally.

• 1:28:00Speaker 01

  Yeah!

• 1:28:01Alex Cooper?

  Literally, okay. Regardless of what happens in Paris.

• 1:28:05Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:28:05Alex Cooper?

  What do you hope your legacy is?

• 1:28:07Speaker 01

  To be an advocate for- Anything that I've been outspoken about, mental health, foster care, ADHD, um, whatever that is. But also just someone that gave it her all, never gave up, but also had fun and enjoyed her career. Because I think a lot of times athletes might look back at their career and be like, I wish I had more fun, or I wish I did this differently. But I'm kind of at that age where I've been, I don't really have any more regrets. Because I'm a little bit older, I'm more mature. Everything I've done has kind of been on like my time. So I don't have regrets.

• 1:28:51Alex Cooper?

  I think that is so beautiful. And I think first, I would just like to thank you because hearing so much of what you're talking about, like, you are so perceived on the internet and there's so much pressure and there's, it's difficult to open up and sit and be honest and vulnerable. And I appreciate you trusting me with your story and this experience. Because I am such a huge fan of yours. And I think you are, you are so much more than gymnastics, but you are kick ass badass as a gymnast. Obviously, the greatest of all time. So I just cannot wait to see what's next for you. And I don't just mean, obviously, the Olympics. Like just your life and your career and Simone Biles. And I love you. Congrats. Congrats. Oh, my God, we did it.

• 1:29:34Speaker 01

  Yay.

• 1:29:53Alex Cooper?

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• 1:31:20Alex Cooper?

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• 1:32:03Alex Cooper?

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