Who Is MyKayla Skinner? 5 Things to Know About the Gymnast Who Criticized 2024 Olympics Team

MyKayla Skinner has made headlines over the years for both her gymnastics career and her comments about fellow athletes.

Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Skinner faced backlash for criticizing members of Team USA’s women’s gymnastics squad in a since-deleted YouTube video. “Besides Simone [Biles], I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t what it used to be,” she stated. “I mean, obviously, a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.”

Skinner went on to claim that the U.S. Center for SafeSport, which works to prevent sexual, emotional and physical abuse against athletes, has had an effort on gymnast’s training. “Coaches can’t get on athletes, which in some ways is really good, but at the same time, to get to where you need to be in gymnastics you do have to be … a little aggressive, a little intense,” she claimed.

Several gymnasts quickly shaded her comments, including Biles. “Not everyone needs a mic and a platform,” she wrote via Threads in July 2024. Jordan Chiles’ mother, Gina, also tweeted, “Whoa. She really said that out loud and posted it. That’s something.”

Gymnasts Simone Biles and MyKayla Skinner’s History Explained: From Team USA to Controversy

Skinner later apologized via her Instagram Story, stating that her words were “misinterpreted” and “misunderstood.” She explained: “A lot of the stuff I was talking about wasn’t always necessarily about the current team because I love and support all the girls that made it and I’m so proud of them.”

Scroll down for five things to know about Skinner:

1. What Has MyKayla Skinner Accomplished in Her Gymnastics Career?

Beginning gymnastics in 2000, Skinner went on to compete for the University of Utah’s women’s gymnastics team. During her collegiate career, she earned two NCAA championship titles in 2017 and 2018 and was a two-time NCAA all-around runner-up. She also set a NCAA record for consecutive routines without a fall at 161 performances, per the university's website.

Outside of school, Skinner competed for the U.S. at the 2014 and 2019 World Championships. She scored gold in the team event in 2019 and 2014, as well as a personal bronze in the 2014 vault event.

2. Did MyKayla Skinner Win an Olympic Medal?

Skinner went on to act as an alternate at the 2016 Rio Games and later earned a spot on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team for the 2020 Tokyo Games alongside Biles, Chiles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Grace McCallum. Skinner earned a silver medal in the vault event after Biles dropped out of the competition after experiencing the “twisties.”

3. What Has MyKayla Skinner Said About Her Gymnastics Training?

While apologizing for her July 2024 comments about the U.S. women’s gymnastics Paris Olympics team, Skinner said that her words were “more about going back into my own gym and the work ethic is different compared to when we were doing gymnastics in the Márta [Károlyi] era.”

Károlyi formerly served as USA Gymnastics’ national team coordinator and allegedly made athletes follow strict rules without objection, according to a 2018 Associated Press exposé.

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“I’m not sticking up for Márta or saying what she did was good,” Skinner continued. “I’m just saying it was different. So sorry for anything that got out of context or seemed hurtful; I love those girls and I’m seriously so happy for them so I would never do anything to make them feel otherwise.”

In a follow-up apology, Skinner told Us Weekly that she was “coming to terms that I have not fully dealt with the emotional and verbal abuse I endured under Márta that perhaps led to my hurtful comments.”

She added: “It is most important to me that the sport I love continue down the path of healing and ensures a positive environment for all.”

4. How Did MyKayla Skinner React to the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Gold Win at the Paris Olympics?

Biles once again appeared to shade Skinner’s comments after she and her teammates took home gold during the Paris Olympics women’s gymnastics team competition in July 2024. “Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions ????????,” she captioned Instagram pics of herself and Chiles, Carey, Lee and Hezly Rivera holding the American flag after their win.

Olympian McKayla Maroney poked fun at the Skinner drama in the post’s comments, writing, “It doesn’t get more iconic than this … She f’d around n found out fr. Feels like I need to apologize just to redeem my first name.”

Biles’ husband, Jonathan Owens, also wrote, “F AROUND AND FIND OUT.”

Without directly addressing the backlash, Skinner congratulated the gymnasts on their victory via her Instagram Story. She captioned a photo of the group at their medal ceremony with three red heart emojis.

5. Is MyKayla Skinner Married?

Skinner tied the knot with American Ninja Warrior alum Jonas Harmer in 2019. “And just like that … Mr. & Mrs. Harmer??,” she captioned Instagram pics of their big day in November 2019.

The couple became parents with the birth of their daughter in September 2023. “Everyone welcome Lottie!” she wrote alongside hospital pics of herself and Harmer with their little one. “Charlotte Jane Harmer made a safe arrival yesterday afternoon! Mom & baby are happy and healthy. We couldn’t ask for more.”