In a revelatory—and let’s face it, downright gripping—interview, Shanon Biles, the biological mother of gymnastics sensation Simone Biles, pulls back the curtain on her yearning for a future with her daughter. Despite the whirlwind years and seemingly insurmountable barriers, Shanon, who’s now 52, clings to a shred of hope that one day, Simone will come knocking on her door. Cue the heartstrings being tugged.
The backstory? Well, it’s one for the books. Shanon battled the demons of drug and alcohol addiction during Simone’s early life, leading her to make the heart-wrenching decision to place Simone and her younger sister, Adria, in the care of their grandparents, Ron and Nellie Biles. Don’t cry just yet, because this tough call paved the way for Simone to become the unparalleled gymnast we all adore today.
“I’d like to make amends with Simone personally—I’m just waiting for her and Adria,” Shanon confided to the Daily Mail. “I talk to Adria more often than Simone. I just want her to forgive me. Can we rewrite our script? Don’t judge me for my past. Let’s turn the page. I’m here, waiting, but it’s up to her to come to me. Patience is the name of the game.”
This teary proclamation surfaces hot on the heels of Simone’s colossal triumph at the 2024 Summer Olympics, where she snagged three gold medals and a silver, bumping her total Olympic medal haul to 11. While the world celebrates our golden girl, the yawning gap between mother and daughter remains as wide as ever.
Watching Simone’s Olympic exploits from her home in Columbus, Ohio—a place dripping with memories of when Simone and Adria bounced between foster homes—Shanon couldn’t help but feel immense pride. This bittersweet situation became her norm as she witnessed her daughter’s meteoric rise from afar.
“I hear everything about Simone from my dad. We chat all the time. We’re in a good place now. I even wished him happy birthday recently,” Shanon shared. “If I need an update, I call him. I ask about Simone, and he fills me in.”
Ron and Nellie Biles played heroes, raising Simone and Adria in Houston, Texas. They became the stabilizing force the girls desperately needed. Simone has always set the record straight—correcting anyone who dares refer to Shanon as her mother. With Simone ever more successful and now married to NFL star Jonathan Owens, that emotional chasm has only grown.
Clean, sober, and now cashiering at a discount grocery store, Shanon can’t squash her desire to be a part of Simone’s life. “I’m not who I used to be. I’m good today. I’m a loving person,” she said, voicing the heartache of missing out on Simone’s key life milestones, like her wedding.
Despite having a direct line to reach Simone, Shanon opts not to use it, hoping Simone will make the first move. “I do have a direct number, but I won’t use it,” she revealed. “I want her to reach out to me. She’s 27 now. She’s married. I wish I could’ve been a part of that, but I have to wait for her. You can’t hurry love—or reconciliation,” she added with palpable patience.
Shanon’s message rings loud and clear: She’s ready and waiting but respects Simone’s right to choose if and when to reconnect. “It hasn’t happened yet, but I have patience. I’m waiting on her,” she said, embodying a mother’s enduring hope that, despite the past, there’s always room for a fresh start.
In the grand theatre of life, sometimes waiting in the wings can be the hardest role to play. But Shanon Biles is standing by, patiently hoping for an encore with her daughter, the great Simone Biles. And who knows, maybe one day, the curtain will rise on a new chapter for them both.
