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The feud between gymnastics legend Simone Biles and conservative commentator Riley Gaines just went nuclear - and fans are now choosing sides in a battle that's got social media in full meltdown mode.
It all started when Gaines criticized the Minnesota State High School League for celebrating a softball championship victory led by junior pitcher Marissa Rothenberger - a biological male - who dominated the playoffs with five straight wins and just one earned run in 35 innings.
"Comments off lol To be expected when your star player is a boy," Gaines wrote in a now-viral post.
Enter Biles. The 11-time Olympic medalist wasn't about to let that slide. In a fiery rebuttal, she called Gaines "truly sick" and accused her of bullying the trans community out of bitterness over a lost race. She even suggested a new transgender sports category to foster inclusivity, writing: "No one in sports is safe with you around!"
The old incriminating tweet
Then came the jab heard 'round the internet: "Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male @Riley_Gaines_."
Fans erupted - half cheering Biles for defending trans athletes, half calling her out for "ing men in women's sports." But just when it seemed Biles had the last word, the internet did what the internet does best: it ed.
An old tweet from Biles in 2017 resurfaced like a plot twist in a reality show: "Ahhhh good thing guys don't compete against girls or he'd take all the gold medals!!"Gainespounced. "Oop don't you hate it when your past self completely undermines your current nonsensical argument?" she quipped.
The fans turned their backs on Simone
And just like that, Biles was suddenly trending again - this time for all the wrong reasons. Comments poured in faster than a Simone Biles floor routine:
- "So you do know the difference between males and females?"
- "Your hypocrisy is showing."
- "Oh wow... did you forget the internet is forever?"
While the gymnast has yet to directly address her resurfaced tweet, the internet court of public opinion is already in session. On one side: those praising her for advocating inclusivity in sports. On the other: fans who see a glaring contradiction between past and present Simone.
One thing is clear: what started as a fight over fairness in sports has spiraled into a full-blown cultural battle - with a gold-medal gymnast and a former swimmer now front and center.
And judging by the heat this feud has generated, don't expect it to cool off anytime soon.