Is Riley Gaines ready to reconcile with Simone Biles? Former swimmer expresses respect for gymnast after public feud

The war of words between former swimmer and American conservative political activist Riley Gaines and Olympic artistic gymnast Simone Biles may finally be over. The verbal feud started on June 7, 2025, when Gaines reposted a photo of the Minnesota State High School League after they won the Class AAAA Softball State Champion for 2025. Gaines wrote:

"Comments off lol... To be expected when your star player is a boy"

This caught Simone Biles' eye, and she responded by calling out the former swimmer. Biles called Gaines a "sore loser" and a "bully," to which the latter responded, saying that Biles' stance was "disappointing" since she strongly believes that men (referring to trans athletes) do not have space in women's sports.

The heated exchange was witnessed by netizens who saw the two women fight for their beliefs. However, Biles did apologize for getting personal with Gaines during the feud, when she should have just addressed the issue she had with Gaines' post. While Riley did not apologize and stood by what she said, she did express that she would not mind working with Simone Biles if the latter is up for it. Keep reading to know more.

Riley Gaines is open to teaming up with Simone Biles amid online drama

During a recent exclusive interview with TMZ, Riley Gaines expressed that she is "absolutely" open to working with Simone Biles, despite the current verbal feud. After talking to Gaines, she conveyed that she still has immense respect for the gymnast, despite how it had gone down online. Gaines said:

"Look, Simone is someone I've looked up to, I've respected for so long. She has done so much for women's sports, of course, for the sport of gymnastics, but even broader than that for women in general."

However, she clarified how she felt about the comments that Biles made. In Gaines' words:

"Her stance felt so deeply visceral to me not because of the personal attacks, but more so again because of how she used her platform, a platform where young girls all across the nation, young girls like my little sister, who's a gymnast, look up to her."

She continued:

"In the blink of an eye, she effectively pulled up the ladder behind her. And again, a way that was, I think, done in haste. I think there was a lot of ignorance to the issue when she issued her initial tweets on that Friday evening."

Riley Gaines also said that she sees a lot of potential if the two of them worked together, and she believes that they could make a huge impact by teaming up.

"I think [Simone] would be a fantastic ally in this fight. Her platform is still incredible. Her career has been illustrious, to say the least. I think we could do a lot together if she was willing to do it," Gaines concluded.

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After Riley Gaines' olive branch through her interview with TMZ, Simone Biles has yet to respond to the comments made by Gaines regarding working together.

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