How do you feel about the current U.S. gymnastics team shaping up for the Paris Olympics? On June 30th, 2024, Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and newcomer Hezly Rivera clinched their spots on the team. Since then, opinions have been running amok about this year’s squad (mainly positive), but not everyone is speaking their mind. However, one notable voice that chimed in was Olympic medalist MyKayla Skinner, who vaulted to silver at the 2021 Games. Since then, she’s been under scrutiny. What exactly has she stirred up?

After the final announcement of the 2024 Olympic team during a two-hour watch party on YouTube on June 30th, MyKayla Skinner uploaded a now-deleted YouTube video where she threw shade at both the current U.S. gymnastics team and a non-profit organization. Skinner started off by saying, “But besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t what it used to be. I mean, obviously, a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.” Her words were enough to light a fire, but Skinner compounded to the burning issue even more by stoking the flame.

She continued, “It’s hard [to have the same work ethic as before] because of SafeSport…….Some of the girls that fell twice and still ending up in the second place in the all-around, just kind of crazy to me.” The embers spared no one. Was she taking a dig at Suni Lee? During the trials, Suni Lee finished second with a score of 111.675. In her balance beam routine, Lee slipped early but managed to regain her footing twice, scoring 12.825 on the beam. Skinner questioned Lee’s performance, despite Lee’s recovery from two kidney diseases. Notably, both Jordan Chiles and Simone Biles also had falls on the balance beam.

However, at the age of 27, Skinner wants to be part of this team after seeing so many injuries during the trials. As she puts it, “Not saying anything to the girls that got injured, but if I could come back, I think I would be able to do it. And I think I probably could’ve made that Olympic team,” she added, referring to Kayla DiCello, Skye Blakely, and Shilese Jones, who all faced setbacks due to injuries. Additionally, she also criticized Hezly Rivera, whom she had previously cheered for after Rivera’s junior medal victory at the 2018 US Classic, which now seems to have soured. With all the controversy, Simone Biles wasted no time in calling her out for her so-called remarks indirectly.

After the backlash, the gymnastics gems that unfollowed her

Biles responded on Threads, delivering a pointed message to her indirectly, “Not everyone needs a mic and a platform.” She notably stood apart from Skinner’s scathing critique of the perceived “talent” and “depth” of this year’s U.S. Olympic team. Both Biles and Skinner were teammates at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and though Biles didn’t directly name Skinner, her target was clear as day to those in the gymnastics community.

Jordan Chiles’ mother also jumped into the fray on X, exclaiming, “Whoa. She really let the cat out of the bag and posted it. That’s something….” Even Hezly Rivera’s older sister, Carhelis, took to Instagram Stories to directly address MyKayla Skinner’s recent comments. “Kind of funny that you didn’t know how to pronounce my sister’s name especially since she was on national TV,” Carhelis posted alongside a photo of Skinner and Rivera at the 2018 Hopes Classic.

“I’m sure you heard the commentators say her name correctly every time,” she added. “Also, you personally handed Hezly a medal at the Hopes US Classic 2018 in Utah.” Skinner faced further criticism from numerous fans for mispronouncing Rivera’s name, who were quick to call her out.

Despite the controversy, Hezly Rivera enjoys strong support from her actual teammates on the Olympic Team. “We’re really excited to kind of show her the ropes,” Simone Biles commented. However, the fallout from Skinner’s remarks was evident on social media, as members of the Olympic team, including Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey, Joscelyn Roberson, and Jordan Chiles, all gave MyKayla Skinner the cold shoulder by unfollowing her on Instagram. With backlash mounting, the burning question remained: Was an apology overdue, or had the ship already sailed?

Mykayla Skinner attempts to clarify her comments- apology rejected

On Wednesday, July 3rd, MyKayla Skinner posted a video on her Instagram Stories. She attempted to clarify her recent YouTube remarks. Captioning her post “Just clearing up what had been said on my current video!” Skinner addressed the controversy, stating, “Hey, guys, just wanted to pop on here really quick, because I know we did the recap on YouTube, and I feel like a lot of you guys had misinterpreted or misunderstood exactly what I was meaning or had said.”

She went on to explain that her comments were not directed at the current team members but rather reflected her observations on changes in work ethic since her time in gymnastics under former team coordinator Márta Károlyi. Skinner emphasized, “It was more about going back into my own gym, just the work ethic is different compared to when we were doing gymnastics in the Márta era. And I’m not sticking up for Márta or saying what she did was good, I’m just saying it was different.”

In her apology, Skinner acknowledged any unintended hurt caused by her words, saying, “Anyway, sorry for anything that got out of context or seemed hurtful. That is never my intention.” She reassured her support for the current team, expressing, “I love the women on the current squad and am seriously so happy for them. I would never do anything to make them feel otherwise. So sorry if that came out wrong. That was not my intention at all.” Despite her attempt to clarify and apologize, many viewed Skinner’s remarks as insufficient, questioning whether her statement truly addressed the controversy or merely formalized her stance.

Unpleasant ‘Turd’, Veterans wasted no time in calling her out!

Now it was the time for the veterans to come in clutch! Kathy Johnson took to X, advising, “My advice is to focus on all the positive and special aspects of the Five Phoenixes. Let the unpleasant ‘turd’ lie in its own stinkiness. If the owner won’t clean it up after being asked, acknowledge it for what it is and avoid it. If you’ve encountered it, wash it off.” She urged the Gymternet community to steer clear of divisive nonsense and instead promote positivity and maturity.

Vanessa Atler, the 1997 U.S. national all-around champion and 1998 Goodwill Games gold medalist, also entered the fray, staunchly defending the 2024 Team USA. She countered each of MyKayla Skinner’s critiques, stating, “I don’t know what other people were watching but…. 1) I have never seen so much depth!” Atler expressed admiration for the team’s strength despite injuries “2) Not as hard-working as they used to be?? Are we kidding?” Atler defended the athletes’ dedication and perseverance, citing the impressive comebacks of four athletes from the previous Olympic team despite significant challenges.

Atler didn’t hold back in criticizing past coaching methods, either. “3) In Marta and Bela’s era we had athletes that were forced to work hard. Is that what we want?” She argued against glorifying previous coaching regimes that may have fostered a toxic environment in gymnastics. Atler concluded emphatically, addressing the intense nature of trials, “4) Lastly falls happen all the time at Trials, if not more… You have no right to take the difficulty away from these athletes.” She denounced MyKayla Skinner’s comments as petty and mean-spirited.

Even fans joined the chorus of criticism. One fan sharply rebuked Skinner, stating, “Girl, shut up; both alternates have a better Cheng than you.” (Leanne Wong and Joscelyn Roberson are alternatives for the Paris Olympics). Another expressed strong disapproval of Skinner’s past gymnastic style, remarking, “Her gymnastics was HIDEOUS. The worst, most unpleasant skills/routines to ever grace our screens. And she’s crazy!” The backlash was enough to make one wonder if MyKayla Skinner could take any more punches. Ultimately, it seemed another apology was inevitable, as Skinner found herself in hot water once again. Is she really contrite or just trying to save face at this point?

Skinner issues a second apology- too little, too late to mend fences?

MyKayla Skinner, feeling the heat of criticism, issued a second apology on her Instagram late Saturday evening, July 6, acknowledging, “I want to formally apologize to Team USA and to our gymnastic community for my comments during my recent YouTube episodes of the Gymnastics Olympic Trials. It was not my intention to offend or disrespect any of the athletes or to take away from their hard work. Your hard work and dedication have paid off and I congratulate each and every one of you.”

Reflecting on her remarks, Skinner admitted, “Upon reflection, I was comparing the ‘Marta Era’ to the current era. I am coming to terms that I have not fully dealt with the emotional and verbal abuse I endured under Marta that perhaps led to my hurtful comments. I take full responsibility for what I said and deeply apologize.” Following her apology, she made the decision to turn off comments on her post, seemingly attempting to shield herself from further backlash. Well, with so much backlash, do you think she deserves a second chance? What’s your take on it?