Simone Biles Says One ‘Random Weird Feeling’ Told Her She’d Marry Her Now-Husband After Just One Date
Simone Biles says she walked back into her house after her first date with Jonathan Owens and immediately told her friends, “I think I’m going to marry him.” The Olympic gymnast, recently shared the moment calling it a “random weird feeling” she couldn’t explain — but still trusted — the night she met the Chicago Bears safety in March 2020.
It wasn’t the usual first-date butterflies, either. “Gosh… It wouldn’t even be giddy. What is the right term?” she said to People, admitting she had only dated one person before Owens and didn’t quite know how to describe the emotion. “It was just a random weird feeling that I’ve never felt before… I came back and I was like, ‘Oh, I think I’m going to marry him.’”
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If you’re not familiar with how Biles and Owens even got together, it actually started on one of the more exclusive dating apps, Raya. Biles saw he was in Houston, sent the first message, and they hit it off from there. They ended up sharing their relationship on Instagram in August 2020, and a couple years later — February 2022 — they were engaged. Then came 2023, which turned into a two-wedding year: a courthouse “let’s-just-do-this” moment in Texas and a bigger celebration in Mexico. And in the middle of all that planning, they realized something funny: back in January 2019, when Biles led the Houston Texans out of the tunnel at a game, Owens was accidentally in the background of her photos.
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens at the 2025 ESPY Awards held at the Dolby Theatre on July 16, 2025 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Christopher Polk
Their relationship has also weathered tough public moments. When Owens said in a 2023 interview on The Pivot that he didn’t know who Biles was before they started dating — and called himself “the catch” — the internet zeroed in quickly. Biles later told the Call Her Daddy podcast in April 2024 that the backlash “really hurt,” explaining, “You don’t know him… Talk about me all you want, but don’t come for my family.” Owens has since shown up for her in major ways, including getting permission to momentarily leave Chicago Bears training camp to watch her compete — and win gold again — at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Biles is now taking a break from gymnastics after that historic run, telling Sports Illustrated she’s “humble enough to know when to be done.” She’s also thinking about what elite training would look like now that she’s married. “What sacrifices would be made if I go back now?” she asked, noting that starting a family factors heavily into the decision.
Kids are something they’ve already talked openly about. In 2024, Owens told People he wouldn’t push any future children into sports, saying he would “support them a hundred percent.” Biles later joked on Today that “he would have them, like, yesterday if he could.”
For now, she’s enjoying being in the stands. Biles told People she’s loved attending more of Owens’ games after missing so many during her own training cycles, adding that he has “broken so many barriers” in his NFL career. “Just showing up and supporting my husband,” she said — a full-circle moment from the feeling she couldn’t quite name on their very first date.
More on Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens’ relationship:
Before you go, click here to see all the athletes who found love with another sports star.
