The 2024 Olympics may have just wrapped up, but Gabby Douglas is already thinking ahead to the 2028 Games. Although her plans to compete in Paris were cut short by an ankle injury, she’s now focused on her next big routine. Gabby even mentioned how curious she is to see how gymnastics evolves by 2028, showing she’s still as passionate as ever. She would have been the oldest female gymnastics competitor at the Olympics since 1952 if she were part of the Olympics at 28 years old now. Even though she got injured along the way in her career as a gymnastics athlete, she feels a sense of pride in her achievements.

On the other hand, Team USA, led by Simone Biles, took home the gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics. With a score of 171.296, they were way ahead of Italy, who came in second with 165.494. The team featured top gymnasts like Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey, and Sunisa Lee. Even though Gabby wasn’t on the team, she was recently asked for her thoughts on the team, as she’s still very much a part of the gymnastics world.

Recently, Gabby Douglas became a hot topic again on a Reddit thread titled “Ig live w Gabby and Shilese.” The discussion centers around a moment from their Instagram Live, where both gymnasts were asked whether the people on the national team were nice. Gabby abruptly left the chat, while Shilese simply “pleads the fifth,” raising some eyebrows and recalling Mykayla Skinner’s comment. According to reports on X, this made many fans suspicious of the dynamic behind the scenes.

Initially, MyKayla Skinner also made controversial comments in a YouTube video before the Olympics, where she expressed her views on the new generation of gymnasts, suggesting that their talent and work ethic were not as strong as in the past. She remarked that, besides Simone Biles, the depth and level of talent had declined compared to earlier teams.

MyKayla also stated that many current gymnasts don’t work as hard, attributing some of this to the stricter guidelines from SafeSport, which limits how coaches can interact with athletes. She implied that a certain level of aggression and intensity was necessary for success in gymnastics, which she felt was being lost. These comments were met with backlash, as many viewed them as critical of the current Team USA.

Back to the current situation, adding more to the speculation about Gabby Douglas, just hours later, she shared a story on Instagram featuring Patrick Star, a character from SpongeBob SquarePants that read, “Apparently staying to yourself and not bothering people… bothers people.” She captioned it with a baffled, “Like what,” leading many to believe she was subtly addressing the same situation. Fans are now divided, with some wondering if her sudden exit from the chat was linked to deeper tensions in the gymnastics team.

Fans predict Gabby Douglas’s journey while finding common ground

One fan commented on the Gabby Douglas situation, “I don’t know why this is surprising to anyone. It’s great that typically Team USA comes together to form a team, but in reality, they are individual athletes. They’re going to have individual training methods, competitiveness levels, interests outside of gymnastics. That all naturally causes tension.” This hints how, despite the collective identity of the national team, the athletes’ personal goals and different approaches can create friction.

For example, what makes Simone Biles the GOAT is not just her contributions to the team but her individual success. When we search for Biles, it’s her 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals that set her apart. Even at the Paris Games, where Team USA secured a world-best 10 medals, including three golds (tied with Japan), it’s Biles’ personal achievements that define her greatness.

Another fan added, “I think the Olympic teams of 2021 and this year were more bonded than usual because of their circumstances — the Covid isolation and what happened with Simone in ‘21; and their Redemption Tour and coming together after the One-Armed Vaulter Who Shall Not Be Named this summer. What Shilese and Gabby hinted at loudly today is probably more the usual. I love that meets seem to be more relaxed and the girls/women are more friendly and supportive of each other, but expecting them to all be BFFs is kind of unrealistic.”

Back in 2021, Simone Biles’ journey from withdrawing at the Tokyo Olympics due to the twisties to making a triumphant comeback in 2023 really showed her resilience. Tokyo was especially tough for her and others because, with COVID-19 restrictions, there were no friends, family, or spectators allowed at the Games. It was just her teammates supporting her through that challenging time.

Fast forward to the 2024 Paris Olympics, and Biles once again led the team, but this time, her teammates—Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Hezly, and Jade Carey—also played key roles. They weren’t just supporting each other; each gymnast contributed in their own way, making their collective success a true team effort.

For example, when Suni had a panic attack just hours before the team all-around final, Jordan Chiles went straight to Simone for help. Biles, always the leader, gave Suni the pep talk she needed, reminding her of her strength and why she deserved to be on the team. That advice helped Suni and the team bring home the gold.

Suni Lee’s road to the 2024 Olympics was anything but easy. After her stellar performance in Tokyo, where she won all-around gold and team silver, she was diagnosed with two types of kidney disease. Despite her health challenges, Suni managed to secure her place on the Paris team, even after a relapse just before trials. She earned two bronze medals, despite a fall on the beam.

Reflecting on Lee’s journey, she is proud of how far she’s come, both physically and mentally. She’s also been a supportive teammate, especially for Jordan Chiles, who is currently appealing a decision to strip her of a bronze medal. Suni even joked that if the medal is taken away, she’d throw it in the ocean, showing how close-knit they are despite the individual pressures they face.

One fan expressed their views by saying, “This doesn’t surprise me. People are people and not everyone is nice, and some of the ladies on the team give off ‘mean girl’ vibes. The national team are coworkers with each other, not mandatory friends.” This shows the reality that while the gymnasts may support each other, they aren’t obligated to be friends. The fan further noted that society places more emphasis on women to be “nice,” which can create unrealistic expectations.

Another fan added, “I don’t care if they’re nice or not; as long as they don’t actively try to sabotage each other, harass each other, or bully each other, ‘niceness’ should never be a quality to try to tease out of highly competitive people. Especially when ‘niceness’ is only ever demanded from high-achieving women.”

One fan expressed their thoughts on the situation, saying, “I don’t understand the point of even asking this question other than to stir the pot and use it as a Trojan horse to talk mess about individual members. They are athletes—they show up to do a job and are only required to get along enough to work well as a team when needed. Who cares if they don’t have sleepovers and braid each other’s hair? Are you BFFs with all your coworkers? Is this also required of the men’s national team?” This highlights the idea that while it’s nice to see the gymnasts supporting each other, it’s unrealistic to expect them to be close friends outside of their professional roles.

The fan continued, pointing out how weird it is to search for drama among the athletes: “I think it is lovely to see them being friendly and supporting each other beyond what duty requires of them, but it is weird that people are searching under cushions to find crumbs of drama.” They added, “Besides, if everyone on the national team is ‘not nice’ to any one person, I’d sooner believe that person is part of the problem.”

This perspective encourages us to focus on the athletes’ performance and teamwork rather than their personal relationships, reminding us that they are professionals there to do a job, not necessarily to form friendships. That said, it’s worth noting that Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas are actually good friends.

Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas were teammates during the 2016 Rio Olympics, where they helped Team USA clinch the all-around gold medal. Biles has often mentioned how Douglas’s incredible 2012 Olympic gold medal win inspired her to push herself to be the best. Gabby made history as the first Black American gymnast to win Olympic all-around gold and was the first from Team USA to secure gold in both individual and team events, racking up a total of three Olympic golds. Her achievements have truly paved the way for future generations of gymnasts.

After the Rio Olympics concluded and she took a six-year hiatus from events; however, she found the renewed motivation to come back to compete after witnessing Team USA’s success at the 2022 World Championships; regrettably, she encountered a foot injury that prevented her from participating in the Paris Olympics, but her significant influence on the sport and her reputation as a pioneer endure inspiring athletes globally.