“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t what it used to be,” MyKayla Skinner remarked about Team USA heading to the Olympics. This video began circulating on Wednesday, opening a can of worms for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic vault silver medalist. The gymnastics community roared, including Simone Biles who wasn’t too happy about it.

Simone, now a three-time Olympian, defended her teammates, pulling a veiled dig at Skinner on Threads a day after: “Not everyone needs a mic and a platform.” Hours later, amid the controversy that even compelled Skinner to drop an open apology, the proud Texan chose some quietness to enjoy the Fourth of July celebrations with husband Jonathan Owens.

Simone Biles kicked off her Fourth of July celebrations by sharing a series of photos with her beloved fans on her social media. The day began with a picture of the World Champions Center (WCC) in Houston, owned by her legal parents, Ronald and Nellie Biles. The gym proudly displayed the American and Texas flags at its center with the caption, “Happy 4th.”

To cap off the night on a loving and wholesome note, Simone and her husband, Jonathan Owens, headed out for a date night. Dining at Toca Madera Houston, the couple savored delicious margaritas and a hearty meal of steak and mac and cheese. They snapped a cute selfie, and later, Simone shared a picture of Owens looking dapper in grey tweed pants, a black T-shirt, and stylish silver jewelry.

What’s even more special is the date night location: Toca Madera Houston. The restaurant is located in the heart of all the noted surrounding areas where Fourth of July celebrations are scheduled to be held in Texas this year! All are less than 200 miles (2-3hrs drive) away.

The couple enjoyed quality time together and Simone took no time to share her day on her Instagram story (blissfully ignoring the growing drama surrounding MyKayla Skinner!). In one of the photos, Biles looked toward the camera while Owens gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Reaction Info: What is your reaction to Simone Biles’ July 4 celebrations? React!

For Biles spending time with her husband seemed like a way to cool off after Skinner’s comments targeted Team USA. In a two-hour YouTube watch party, Skinner had said, “Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t what it used to be. Just notice like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.” But what she said next was more brutal. 

Knowing how Safe Sport was given increased visibility by crafting a new policy with the help of Biles-led survivors of abuse a year after the Larry Nassar case, Skinner’s passivity in addressing this brewed a storm that prevented Skinner from vaulting back to normalcy: “Coaches can’t get on athletes, and they have to be really careful what they say.” Skinner then sought an apology as she tried to de-escalate the situation with her own 4th of July indulgences. Here’s what she said.

MyKayla Skinner tries to renegotiate narratives as she feels “misinterpreted or misunderstood”

After responses from Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles’ mother, and the gymnastics community on July 3rd, MyKayla Skinner addressed the situation on her Instagram stories with an apology. She explained, “I feel like a lot of you guys had misinterpreted or misunderstood exactly what I was meaning or had said.”

Reflecting on her own experiences, she recalled the intense training under Martha Karolyi and Bela Karolyi when they were the team’s coordinators, and apologized for her words. In the video she said, “Sorry for anything that got out of context or seemed hurtful,” the athlete added. “Throughout the video, I was so pumped for the girls and it was so fun watching trials and doing a live with everybody.”

Instead of calming things down, her apology seemed to stir up more controversy. After this, she chose not to comment further on the matter. Like Simone Biles, MyKayla too enjoyed the Independence Day celebrations. On the Fourth of July, MyKayla Skinner took to her Instagram stories to share her celebrations with her baby girl Lottie, and her husband Jonas Harmer. She captioned her story, “Happy 4th of July! Love this time of year!!”

MyKayla posted a video of their family enjoying a local Independence Day parade and later shared a photo of herself, Jonas, and Lottie in matching American flag outfits. They capped off the night by watching fireworks together as a family.

As we reflect on the drama surrounding MyKayla Skinner and her recent comments, what do you think about her and Biles celebrating the Fourth of July amidst all this? Share your thoughts in the comments below!