Jonathan Owens thought he was reliving the cute story of how he met Simone Biles, but people on the internet felt otherwise.
Jonathan and Simone were introduced through Raya, a popular dating app with an elite list of clients ranging from high-profile celebrities to social media influencers. He remembers swiping on her and their instant connection.
He said he didn't really know anything about gymnastics at the time, but he saw Simone was a gymnast and it piqued his interest. Simone made the first move by messaging him.
"I didn't know who she was at the time, but the first thing that I saw was that she had a bunch of followers, so in my mind I'm like, 'She gotta be good.'"
At this point in the story, the podcast hosts were a little skeptical and unable to disguise their disbelief that Jonathan, or anyone in the world for that matter, wouldn't know who Simone is...if not by face, then certainly by name.
For context, Simone is the most decorated gymnast in history and is often considered the greatest to ever touch the mat. She's a multi-Olympic gold medalist and has won more Gymnastics World Championships than anyone in the sport.
"When she won the Olympics, I was in college," Jonathan said in his defense. "We didn't have NBC. We didn't have Olympic channels. And we're in [football] camp in late July, early August, so I'm not really paying attention. So, I never would've had a moment where I would have watched."
The camera then panned to Simone who couldn't help but giggle at his retelling and the obvious doubt on the hosts' faces.
Jonathan revealed the two began talking on a Tuesday and eventually met up that Friday. He said Simone drove 45 minutes from her suburban town in Texas to meet him in Houston and "the rest is history."
The Pivot's Ryan Clark then asked, "So you were really the catch?" To which Jonathan replied, "I always say we, the man, are the catch. I always say we the catch."
He confirmed that Simone is the one who "booked" him. Jonathan admitted he tried to "fight it" at first, because he was in his third year and was "afraid to commit." Despite Ryan joking that Jonathan didn't want Simone at first, Jonathan dispelled the notion, saying that was not the case at all.
"But like I said man, it happens when you least expect it. We hung out and we hit it off instantly. We just laughed the whole night."
Jonathan then recounted a story of when he finally realized what a global phenomenon Simone was, admitting they went to Tiny's Milk & Cookies and everyone stopped and gasped when they saw her. They even asked him to take pictures of them with Simone.
Simone continued to smile and gush over her husband as they reflected on their initial meeting. She clarified that although she did message him first, he had already liked her profile by the time she liked his, because they instantly matched as soon as she swiped on him. But besides that, she agreed with his version of events.
Well, it didn't take long for a clip of this conversation to go viral, and it sent Twitter into a frenzy. The clip was met with mixed reactions, here are just a few:
Both Simone and Jonathan noticed the commotion the conversation caused online, but they immediately let fans know they're unbothered by it all and happy with each other. Simone shared a photo from their wedding with the caption, "Mood."
Jonathan reacted in the comments, calling Simone his best friend.
Jonathan went on to make his own post using their wedding photos, with the caption, " Unbothered. Just know we locked in over here."
Simone backed him up the comments, letting people know they're locked in for life.
At the end of the day, love wins! To watch more of The Pivot podcast episode, check out the full interview below:
