Simone Biles Feud Takes Turn As Riley Gaines Says She Would Work With Her

The feud between Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines has taken a surprising turn as Gaines says she is open to collaboration.

Their back-and-forth erupted over transgender participation in women’s sports, with Biles condemning Gaines’ tone and calling her “sick” in a tweet, before issuing an apology.

Now, in a conciliatory shift, Gaines has praised Biles and expressed willingness to work together, provided they unite around “fairness” in women’s athletics.

Gaines has extended the olive branch to Simone Biles amid their public feud.

During a chat with TMZ, the political activist revealed she was open to working with the Olympic gold medalist.

“Look, Simone is someone I've looked up to, I've respected for so long. She has done so much for women's sports, of course, for the sport of gymnastics, but even broader than that for women in general,” she said.

Gaines explained that Biles’s comments were disheartening not because of personal attacks but because of how she used her platform.

“A platform where young girls, all across the nation, young girls like my little sister, who’s a gymnast look up to her,” she added.

Gaines further criticized Biles’ initial comments, saying they came off as rushed and uninformed.

“In the blink of an eye, she effectively pulled up the ladder behind her,” the 25-year-old noted, referencing what she described as Biles’ lack of awareness in addressing the issue.

“I think there was a lot of ignorance to the issue when she issued her initial tweets on that Friday evening,” Gaines added.

Despite the tension, Gaines said she believed Biles’ influence could be a powerful force, if directed toward the cause she champions.

“I think Simone would be a fantastic ally in this fight,” she said. “Her platform is still incredible. Her career has been illustrious, to say the least. I think we could do a lot together if she was willing to do it.”

The feud between Biles and Gaines began on June 6 when the latter took a shot at a Minnesota high school softball team, arguing that having a trans pitcher created an unfair advantage.

Commenting on a celebratory post, she tweeted, “Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy.”

Gaines' comments didn’t sit well with Biles, as the 28-year-old slammed the former swimmer, writing, “You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans [people] feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!!"

She continued, “But instead…You Bully them…One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around.”

Moments later, the gymnast took the war of words further with another post on X.

“Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male,” Simone Biles tweeted.

Shortly after, Riley Gaines responded to that post, calling Biles’ comments “ so disappointing,” adding that her “take is the least controversial take on the planet.”

“Simone Biles being a male-apologist at the expense of young girls’ dreams? Didn’t have that on my bingo card. Maybe she could compete in the pommel horse and rings in 2028,” Gaines tweeted.

In a follow-up post, she then accused Biles of subtle “body shaming.”

Not long after, Gaines took to Instagram with a video, sharing Biles’ comments and revealing that she “couldn’t care less” about what the star had to say about her.

On June 10, days after her harsh reaction toward Gaines sparked backlash, Simone Biles issued a public apology on X.

“It didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for,” Biles wrote.

She clarified that her frustration wasn’t about “policies that compromise fairness in women’s sports,” but about singling out young athletes for scrutiny in harmful ways.

Biles went on to reaffirm her belief in “competitive equity & inclusivity” and appealed for empathy and respect in the ongoing dialogue.

“I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition. We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful,” she finished.