The 2024 Paris Olympics is set to begin on July 26 and everyone is in high spirits. Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera are on the team, and Joscelyn Roberson and Leanne Wong will be traveling replacements. However, Tokyo vault silver medalist, MyKayla Skinner’s controversial statements, may have dampened the excitement. Skinner, on June 26 (in a now-deleted video), stated, “Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t what it used to be.”

Her statement sounded like a jibe to the rest of the gymnasts. Moreover, Skinner also voiced concerns about the lack of work ethic amongst the athletes and the absence of pressure from the coaches to perform better. Subsequently, she drew reactions from both fans and known faces in the fraternity.

However, amidst this fanning controversy, Jordan Chiles has shared a crucial reminder via her social media. Taking to her Instagram account, Chiles has shared a post on her story that read, “Reasons why I’m not worried, 1. God.”

Chiles floated a general assurance with her post and emphasized her faith in God. However, she did not draw any direct parallels to the issue with Skinner. Chiles also seems to have unfollowed Skinner.

Nonetheless, her mother, Gina Chiles, was among the ones who openly slammed Skinner. Why? Skinner seemingly made comments about Lee and Chiles’ performances. She said, “It’s just some of the other girls that fell twice, and still ending up in second place in the all-around is just kind of crazy to me.” 

She was referring to day two of the Gymnastic Olympic Trials. That’s where Biles and Chiles fell once on the balance beam and Suni Lee fell almost twice. Hence, Chiles’s mother wrote on X, “Whoa. She really said that out loud and posted it. That’s something…”

Similarly, Simone Biles was unhappy that her teammates were targeted. Biles, who is also Jordan Chiles’s best friend, wrote on Threads, “Not everyone needs a mic and a platform.” This could be a dig at Skinner’s podcast with her husband. Interestingly, Biles and Skinner were teammates on the Tokyo Olympic team. Eventually, the latter stepped in with a clarification and apologized for her initial comments about Team USA.

Skinner’s apology to everyone, including Jordan Chiles…

Taking to her Instagram stories, Skinner issued an apology. In the video, she said, “Hey guys just wanted to pop on here really quick coz I know we did the re-cap on YouTube and I feel like a lot of you guys had misinterpreted or misunderstood exactly what I was meaning or had said. I mean, a lot of the stuff that I was talking about wasn’t always necessarily about the current team because I love and support all the girls that made it and I’m so proud of them.”

“So anyway, sorry for anything that got out of context or seemed hurtful; that was never my intention and seriously, throughout the video, I was so pumped for the girls and it was so fun watching trials and doing a live with everybody.”

As the trials were going on, Skinner hosted a live session on YouTube where she was seen sharing her thoughts as she watched. Her daughter, who is barely a year old, watched some of the most elite gymnasts in the USA compete. However, all hell broke loose when Skinner posted another video on her social media and criticized the gymnasts.

In fact, Vanessa Alter, the 1997 U.S. national all-around champion, was extremely unhappy with Skinner’s comments. “Not as hard working as they used to be?? Are we kidding? … We have 4 athletes that were on the last Olympic team. Do you know how difficult it is to make a comeback! These athletes are legends and deservingly so! And one young athlete who has done the work to earn that spot,” she wrote on her Instagram stories.

Nonetheless, Skinner clarified and apologized for her comments. She also stated that her statements were from her own experiences with Team USA and the Olympics. But the damage seems to be done.

Do you think MyKayla Skinner’s comments were justified? Let us know in the comments below.