Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, widely regarded as the most decorated American gymnast in history, has been dealing with family drama that threatens to overshadow her athletic achievements.

After returning from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris with an impressive haul of three gold medals and one silver, Biles faces personal challenges that have sparked intense public interest.

The controversy centers around her biological mother, Shanon Biles, who recently shared her side of the story in a tell-all interview, revealing the estranged relationship between her and her daughter.

In the interview, Shanon claimed that Simone has chosen to distance herself from her, a decision made after being given up for adoption as a young child.

Shanon has been open about her past struggles with substance abuse, which led to her losing custody of all four of her children, including Simone and her siblings.

The children were placed in foster care and later adopted by their grandparents, Ronald and Nellie Biles. Shanon’s two elder children, Tevin and Ashley, went to live with her aunt, Ronald’s sister, in Cleveland.

Shanon blames her father for not allowing her to maintain a relationship with her children, including Simone and her younger sister.

Over the years, Shanon has reconnected with some of her children but not Simone, who has chosen to keep her distance.

The public has been critical of Shanon’s motives, with many accusing her of seeking financial gain or attention.

In response, Micah Biles-Walker, Simone’s younger sister, has taken to social media to defend their mother against online critics.

Micah, 24, shared a video aimed at those who have harshly judged her mother and her relationship with her children — particularly Simone.

Micah maintained that Shanon, who had four more children after Adria, is not a bad person and deserves understanding and empathy.

In the video, Micah stated, “I want to come to this internet and defend my mom because she might not be everything we expected her to be, but at the end of the day, she’s still a work in progress, and we give her that.”

According to Micah, due to Shanon’s drug addiction, she was unable to consistently care for Micah and her siblings since she was around 9 years old.

“It was on and off because she was still dealing with what she was dealing with at the time,” said Micah, adding that she herself didn’t develop a proper relationship with Shanon until she was 17.

Fans have weighed in on the sister’s clapback, with some showing empathy for Shanon’s struggles and others criticizing her for not taking responsibility for her actions.

“This is a prime example of consequences for ya actions and how it effects your kids and will affect u later,” one person commented on Instagram.

Another person wrote, “She’s done nothing to Simone’ except not raise her kid.”

“Forgiveness doesn’t mean reconciliation,” one other person wrote. “BYE She wasn’t with Simone flipping in the gym.”

Shanon Biles and biological daughter Simone Biles. ((Photos: TMZ Sports; @simonebiles /Instagram)

The complexities of the Biles family dynamics are further highlighted by the different sets of children and their relationships with their parents.

While Simone has spoken openly about her abandonment issues and how they have contributed to her struggles with anxiety, she has chosen to maintain close ties only with certain family members, primarily those who raised her.

Simone has previously discussed her challenging early years in her Facebook Watch series “Simone vs Herself,” where she recalled being focused on food due to a lack of it during her childhood.

As of now, Simone maintains relationships with her older siblings, the sister she grew up with, and her grandparents. Her connection with her younger siblings, however, remains unclear, with Micah confirming that her relationship with Simone is currently estranged.

Micah says she just wanted to be in her sister’s life: “Because I already tried, and y’all tried to fake ass bash me for that. So I’m not going to do that because y’all trying to make it seem like, ‘Oh, I’m just jealous’ or whatever. But at the end of the day, I just wanted my sister.”