Simone Biles addresses backlash on why she was invited Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding
Simone Biles stuck the landing in the comment section of her latest Instagram post, after receiving some criticism over her invite to Taylor Swift’s wedding.
The Olympic gold medalist posted a gorgeous photo to social media on Monday (6 July), of herself and husband Jonathan Owens dressed in matching deep red attire.
Confirming the occasion that she was dolled up for, Biles, 29, captioned the post: "the perfect love story, followed by the perfect nighTT", with the capitalised "TT" appearing to reference Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's initials.
While most of the comments fawned over the gymnast’s spectacular gown, designed by DO LONG, one social media user appeared unimpressed, writing: “When has Simone Biles and Taylor Swift even spoken to each other?”
Advert
If there was an Olympic medal for shutting down nasty comments, Biles would have another gold under her belt. The athlete swiftly replied: “remember this, I only show y’all what I want y’all to know.”
Fans were quick to defend Biles in the comments, reminding critics that she and Swift have been in each other's orbit for years.
“Sometimes the best friends are private,” one user replied.
“And her husband is a pro football player, you know, like Taylor's husband,” wrote another, referring to Jonathan Owens’ career as a professional football safety for the Indianapolis Colts.
“Simone did a floor routine to Taylor’s music. I’m sure they’ve at least chatted,” commented a third.
Swifties and gymnastics fans may remember Biles’ viral floor routine back in 2024 ahead of the Paris Olympics, which used Swift’s hit track “Ready For It”.
The dazzling gymnastics routine earned the Olympian a jaw-dropping score of 59.131, and praise from Swift herself, who wrote on X: “Watched this so many times and still unready. She’s ready for it tho.”
Biles and Swift also publicly expressed support for one another back in 2021, ahead of Simone’s grand return to the Olympic Games in 2021.
For NBC’s coverage of the Tokyo games that year, Swift narrated a promotional video about the 11-time Olympic medallist.
In the promo, Swift had said of Biles: “Throughout the last week, her voice has been as significant as her talents. Her honesty as beautiful as the perfection that had long been her signature. But don’t you see? It still is. She is perfectly human. And that’s what makes it so easy to call her a hero.”
Biles responded to Swift’s touching dedication, commenting on X at the time: “I’m crying 🥺🤍 how special. I love you @taylorswift13.”
The “Blank Space” singer wrote back: “I cried watching YOU. I feel so lucky to have gotten to watch you all these years, but this week was a lesson in emotional intelligence and resilience. We all learned from you. Thank you.”
In case you missed it, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s star-studded wedding saw about 1,000 guests gather at Madison Square Garden in New York to watch the A-list couple exchange vows.
The long list of celebrities across music, sports, fashion and film who made the guest list included Ed Sheeran, Karlie Kloss, Dakota Johnson, Selena Gomez, Emma Stone, Bradley Cooper, and Tate McRae, with Adam Sandler officiating the ceremony.
Details about the day are slowly being revealed to fans through representatives for Swift, and some of the lucky wedding guests.
One such guest was mother of the groom Donna Kelce, who spoke to Macy’s at their Fourth of July Celebration in New York: “I can’t really say a heck of a lot except it was magical, man, magical.”
A representative for the pop icon told PEOPLE that Swift and Kelce's wedding looks were designed by Jonathan Anderson of Dior, with shoes by Christian Louboutin and bridal jewellery by Cartier, but for now photos of the bride and groom's final looks remain under lock and key.
Until then, we'll happily take all the glamorous guest pics we can get our hands on
Topics: Taylor Swift, Celebrity, Travis Kelce, Wedding, Sex and Relationships
Ali Condon