Who is former gymnast MyKayla Skinner? The 2020 silver medallist criticised Team USA in a YouTube video – but Simone Biles clapped back

According to CNN Sports, netizens believe the caption is a clap back at Skinner, who criticised the Team USA gymnasts in a YouTube video. “Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be,” she said in the since-deleted clip. “A lot of girls don’t work as hard,” she added. “The girls just don’t have the work ethic.”

Unsurprisingly, this caused a lot of backlash in the sporting community. Biles appeared to respond to Skinner in a post shared on Threads earlier in the month that simply read: “not everyone needs a mic and a platform”.

Skinner, 27, has since come forward to defend her comments, taking to her Instagram Stories to say that she had been “misinterpreted or misunderstood,” notes CNN Sports. “It was not my intention to offend or disrespect any of the athletes or to take away from their hard work,” she added in another post shared on X. “I take full responsibility for what I said and I deeply apologise.”

But this is not the first time Skinner has made headlines for the wrong reasons. Here’s what we know about the controversial former gymnast:

MyKayla Skinner is a former artistic gymnast

Skinner is a former gymnast herself. Per Us Weekly, she landed a position on the US women’s gymnastics team for the 2020 Tokyo Games alongside Biles and other teammates. She won a silver medal in the vault event, per the outlet.

What is MyKayla Skinner doing now?

Who is MyKayla Skinner’s husband, Jonas Harmer?

According to People, Skinner met her future husband Jonas Harmer while they were both at university in Utah. He is reportedly an American Ninja Warrior veteran, referring to an American sports entertainment show where athletes compete in challenges. They tied the knot in November 2019.

In 2023, the duo competed in the first-ever ANW Couples Championship, per NBC. “MyKayla and I thought about doing this a long time ago, before the Olympics. I was always a fan, and she said she’d think about it,” Harmer shared, per Deseret News. “After the Olympics, it was a possibility, but she said no. She was retired and didn’t want to train for anything ever again.”

Does MyKayla Skinner have children?

Skinner and Harmer welcomed their first child, a baby girl, in September 2023, according to People. “Everyone welcome Lottie!” the couple wrote in the caption of a joint Instagram post at the time. “Charlotte Jane Harmer made a safe arrival yesterday afternoon! Mum & baby are happy and healthy. We couldn’t ask for more.”

What did MyKayla Skinner say about Gabby Douglas?

Skinner found herself in hot water long before the Biles incident. In 2016, she was apparently upset about being named an alternate for the Rio Olympic team, with one of the spots going to Gabby Douglas, an Olympic gold medallist, per Glamour.

According to the magazine, Skinner shared a photo of her face Photoshopped on Douglas’ body alongside what Slate dubbed “a racist series of emojis”.