‘Hungry and afraid’. It is difficult to think about Simone Biles this way. But it was the reality of her early childhood. Had it not been for her grandparents (whom she now calls Mom and Dad), Biles and her sister Adria would perhaps live a very different life- away from gymnastics. The siblings—then three and one years old—were sent to the foster care system as their biological parents were fighting substance addiction.

Owing to all the early childhood issues Biles went through, her communication with her biological parents has been non-existent. This is something that hurts Shanon and Kevin Clemons— when they see their daughter on television, winning medals, but they aren’t a part of her celebration.

In an emotional interview with the Daily Mail on August 13, Shanon, the gymnast’s biological mother, shared Clemons’ message to the gymnastics legend. “We both want to see her. I talk to him all the time. He says, ‘If you talk to Simone, give her my number. I’d love to talk to her.’ But I can’t even talk to her. I have to go through my dad,” Shanon said.

Kevin Clemons, Biles’ biological father, lives in Cleveland and has no contact with her. Like Shanon, he too struggled with addiction in the past. Shanon and Clemons kept in touch with each other and both hope to rebuild their relationship with their children someday.

As per the information available, Shanon’s behavior towards her children led to her loss of custody, and she even got separated from the family. She has also been in and out of jail multiple times. Her latest run-in with the law was in 2o19 for assault, and the probation ended in January 2022. Once, she also lost her driver’s license for six months for driving under the influence.

“It was hard to give up my kids but I had to do what I had to, I wasn’t able to care for them. I was still using and he didn’t want me coming in and out of their lives when I wasn’t right,” the mother shared. Looking back at the difficult times, Shannon now understands why it was important for the kids to stay away from her. “I had to deal with me first,” she acknowledged.

Regardless, Shanon is proud of her daughter. The mother hasn’t been a part of Simone Biles’ biggest milestones, like her wedding to Jonathan Owens or her Olympic achievements. Nevertheless, Shanon threw a celebration party after her daughter’s massive success at the Paris Olympics in the backyard of her Columbus, Ohio, residence.

Even though Shanon has her daughter’s number saved on her phone, she refuses to call, believing the celebrated gold medalist will take the initiative. But the broken relationship might be hard to mend—especially evident from Biles’ recollection of the tough times she’s faced.

Simone Biles: When the GOAT shared her side of the story 

Simone Biles is unarguably one of the most decorated gymnasts in gymnastic history. Even though fans saw her dominance in the gymnastic arena, through her documentary on Netflix, “Simone Biles Rising,” they also learned about her struggles and early childhood.

When her biological parents abandoned her and her siblings, it was Ronald and Nellie Biles who rose to the occasion, giving the two sisters a new lease on life. The gymnast reflected that her adoption gave her the foundation she needed to pursue her dream of becoming a gymnast. “I have no idea where I would be without being adopted. I fear for what my life would’ve looked like,” she had said.

“Being separated from my biological mom, being placed in foster care before I officially got adopted by my grandparents, it just set me up for a better route at life,” she stated on an episode of her Facebook Watch series, Simone Vs. Herself. It looks like things turned out well for her as she has etched her name in the history of gymnastics.

She further added that whenever people ask her about her adoption journey, the Olympian never hesitates to share what matters to her the most: “My parents are my parents. I got chosen. Feeling blessed.” 

After the adoption, Shanon did not see her daughters for six years as she still had her own battles to fight. As for Kelvin Clemons, he was never in the picture. The only point of contact between him and his daughter is the latter’s performances.