Simone Biles‘ childhood is certainly no secret. The decorated gymnast was taken in by her grandparents at age three due to her mother’s battle with alcoholism, and while Nellie and Ronald are Mom and Dad to Biles, you do have to wonder where her biological mom is now and if they see each other at all.
In a 2016 interview with the Daily Mail, Shanon Biles described what happened after the adoption papers were signed. “When we signed the [adoption] papers, it was like my dad flipped a switch on me – no communication, don’t call, and don’t visit. That’s how it was at the beginning,” she said.
“It took me six years before I saw my children again. I was respecting my Dad to let the kids transition, he felt that was the best thing for them.” It was hard to give up my kids but I had to do what I had to, I wasn’t able to care for them.”
She added, “I was still using and he didn’t want me coming in and out of their lives when I wasn’t right. I was hard-headed, I didn’t care, screaming, ‘I want to see my kids, why you doing this to me?’ I didn’t understand it at the time but years later, I understood why. I had to deal with me first.”
Where is Simone Biles’ biological mom now?
Shanon Biles isn’t really in the public eye, but it’s believed she lives in Columbus, Ohio. Court records show that she’s had her share of legal woes in the past, ranging from speeding tickets to being on probation for assault, the last of which was in 2021.
In the 2016 interview with the Daily Mail, Shanon explained how often she speaks to her daughter. “When I talk to Simone, it’s a brief conversation, like, ‘I miss you, I love you, I can’t wait to see you, I’m proud of you, I’m watching. You go girl,’” she said. “It’s never anything personal. I want to tell her what really happened when I was younger, but I keep on waiting for the right time.”
She added that she would have loved to see her daughter at the Rio Olympics. “I couldn’t afford it and it’s a lot of pressure for her,” she said. “You always have a bond with your child but with us not growing up together, I don’t want to make her nervous, get her out of character. I’m just here, yelling, “Go Simone!” at the TV.”
In an April 2024 interview with the Call Her Daddy podcast, Biles explained the nature of her family dynamics and how grateful she is for them. She also said that she doesn’t feel the need to explain the nature of their relationship to anyone.
“That’s also crazy explaining to people because I’m like, ‘My biological mom is also my dad’s daughter, and I call him Dad,’” she explained. “So it’s just like, everybody’s hella confused … It’s a whole family tree that you’re like, ‘Don’t make me explain it. My parents are my parents. I got chosen. Feeling blessed.’”
