Skinner had made the feedback in a YouTube video shortly after the Olympic crew was solidified, saying, “I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be. I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.”
While Skinner’s criticism that seemingly sparked Bile’s caption happened in the last few months, Skinner has been a frequent source of controversy for many years. Here’s the history behind the beef:
It sort of started in 2016
Despite placing 4th all-around at the Olympic trials, Skinner was chosen as an alternate for the Rio Olympic team when the Gymnastics Board decided to pull the 7th and 8th place finalists onto the team instead.
One of those spots went to Gabby Douglas — a reigning Olympic gold medalist. Apparently upset about being named an alternate, Skinner posted a photo of her face Photoshopped on Douglas’s body in a team photo along with what Slate called “a racist series of emojis.” This, Slate reported, along with what was described as a bad attitude, “cemented [Skinner’s] villain edit in the gymnastics world.”
Skinner apologised on social media at the time, writing, “I’m so sorry if I offended anyone. I was in the wrong by retweeting that tweet! I’m so grateful to be part of the team! Go USA.”
She continued to face mild controversy because of her outspokenness about the sport online, which has been interpreted as her being “cocky,” something that some have defended, given how male athletes are often permitted to advocate for themselves while female athletes can face criticism for it.
In 2021, Skinner went to the Tokyo Olympics as an event specialist, but secured a silver medal when she stepped in to tackle the vault in Simone Biles’ absence — something Biles reportedly encouraged.
According to ESPN, Biles told Skinner she wanted to see her on the medal podium when she decided to step back from the 2021 event because of the twisties. “With Simone, we are the OGs [“Olympic Grandmas”] of the crew, and to simply have her help, and her having to step out of finals, and her simply pushing me alongside each single day to assist me to position on that podium has been so cool,” Skinner told ESPN at the time. Later, Biles commented on Skinner’s Instagram, “I’m so freaking proud of you,” according to ESPN.
Oh, how things have changed…
The YouTube video heard around the world
After the Olympic gymnastics team was solidified on 30 June, Skinner posted a YouTube video reflecting on the choices, which is when she made the comments that sparked Biles’ reaction a month later. In the now-deleted video, Skinner said, “In addition to Simone, I really feel just like the expertise and the depth simply is not like what it was once. Simply discover like, I imply, clearly a number of women do not work as arduous. The ladies simply do not have the work ethic.”
