“My parents [Ronald and Nellie] saved me,” is what Simone Biles says every time she talks about her adoption journey. But, on the contrary, it’s her biological parents, Shanon and Kelvin, who have never found much space in their elder daughter’s life. After being abandoned at 3, the gymnast’s scars are perhaps much deeper than she lets on—something that not even a public apology from her biological mother can fix.

Soon after the Paris Olympics, the gymnastics community was shocked to learn that Shanon Biles had been struggling with financial hardships after her long battle with substance abuse. Along with revealing her “medical issues“, Shanon also expressed her wish to reconcile with her daughters, Simone and Adria. “I would like to make amends with Simone personally — I’m just waiting for her and Adria,” Shanon said, before adding, “I would just ask her to forgive me. Can we move forward? Don’t judge me on my past. Let’s move forward.”

But ever since, debates have also arose on whether it would be the right for Simone to forgive her birth mother and give her a second chance; Especially recounting the gymnast’s tales of being “hungry and afraid” while her mother was in and out of jail several times.

What added fuel to the fire was an X post by Daily Mail that painted the Olympic gold medalist as the villain. “Simone Biles flaunts her Birkins, Range Rover and Texas mansion – but the $25million Olympic gymnast has given no hand outs to her penniless birth mom who works as a cashier to make ends meet,” the caption read.

However, before the publication could get away with it, an X user made it clear that blaming Simone Biles isn’t the right thing to do. “Simone Biles has no relationship with her birth mother, who abandoned her as a child. She grew up in poverty and was raised by her grandparents,” the reply read.

Ever since Simone and her siblings were adopted, Shanon never got the chance to meet them for six years. “When we signed the [adoption] papers it was like my dad flipped a switch on me – no communication, don’t call, and don’t visit,” she had told the British publication recently. Years of debt left Shanon with just $34 on a prepaid card, as per her October 2018 bankruptcy filing. Shanon had also been entangled in criminal, civil and traffic cases a staggering 29 times since 2009. She was found guilty of assault in 2019 and sentenced to around six months in jail, accompanied with two years of probation.

But since 2022, she’s seemed to have turned things around and now works as a cashier at Save A Lot, keeping her life on track and her wallet a bit fuller. Though she now wants to move forward and work on her relationship with her estranged kids, Simone has yet to make that call. Football safety Jonathan Owens’ wife is currently floating on Cloud nine thanks to her massive success at the 2024 Paris Games.

With three golds and one silver, Simone has made it clear that she is truly an elite gymnast, and her tryst with the “Twisties” three years ago never could define her worth. Her success seems to have her fans convinced that she deserves all the applause, irrespective of what she does in her personal life.

Simone Biles’ fans send out a loud message

Simone and her sister were adopted by their grandparents at the mere age of 6. The pivotal moment in the children’s lives came after Shanon failed to take care of her daughters and they were placed in foster care. Referring to the ordeals that the gymnast had to go through, one X user vehemently stated that the gymnast owes her biological mother nothing despite their blood relation. “Ms. Biles owes the bio-unit nothing. DNA is not a passport to entitlement on any level,” read the fan’s stern comment.

On the same note, another fan wrote, “She should really enjoy everything she has worked hard for. She doesn’t owe her mom anything if she’s never been there for her.”

Simone Biles foster care journey is proof enough as to why the gymnast has chosen to stay away from her parents. “When my siblings and I entered foster care, it was because our biological mom was struggling with drug and alcohol abuse. I was three years old,” she had revealed last year in one rare instance.

Another fan pointed out how Shanon had failed to execute her responsibilities earlier in her life, which initially resulted in her daughters straying away from her. Now, with everything that’s happened and done, this fan also believes Simone shouldn’t be vilified. “Simone’s mom chose drugs. Not Simone. And lost. Simone chose herself. And won,” reads the comment without mincing words.

With a biological father who was never in the picture, it was Ronald and Nellie Biles, the gymnast’s adoptive parents and grandparents—who she now calls ‘mom’ and ‘dad’—that stepped up to give the Olympian a better life. Reportedly, Nellie even sold her business, a chain of 14 hospitals, to support Simone’s dreams. She built the budding gymnast her own gym, and convinced Simone’s former coach Aimee Boorman to train her.

“I would still be Simone Biles, probably not Simone Biles that everybody else knows, the world knows,” Simone had said in 2021 reflecting on the same.

Another user mentioned how it’s just a herd mentality to hate on a person who started from scratch and reached the top of their profession through sheer grit and dedication, writing, “When someone comes from the bottom and reaches the top through his hard work, some people don’t like it.”

“When you refuse to be an eternal punching bag for your trifling parent(s), the “blood is thicker than water” crowd will paint you as the villain for the rest of your life,” read one tweet. With 30 World Championships and Olympic gold medals, Biles is easily a certified and bona fide gymnast whose accolades are enough to show her salt. Naturally, this fan is nothing but frowns as she sees how her personal life is being projected as the bigger subject here.

So which side of the fold do you stand? You can share your take on the issue with a comment below!