MyKayla Skinner calls on Simone Biles to stop feud amid threats

Retired gymnast MyKayla Skinner is calling on Olympian Simone Biles to help “put a stop” to the cyberbullying and threats she’s received after the latter seemingly used Skinner’s controversial comments against her.

Skinner, a Olympic silver medalist, shared an Instagram Reel on Tuesday in which she said that she and her family have received “threats of physical harm” as part of the backlash for a YouTube video in which she slammed the current U.S. women’s gymnastics team.

“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t what it used to be,” the 27-year-old said in the since-deleted video. “I mean, obviously, a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.”

Last Tuesday, after Biles and her teammates — Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee and Hezly Rivera — won the gold medal in the women’s gymnastics team final at the Paris Olympics, Biles shared an Instagram carousel of Team USA celebrating.

“Lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions,” she captioned the pics, seeming to take a dig at Skinner’s previous comments.

“Things have really gotten out of hand lately,” Skinner said in her Instagram Reel, noting she’s fine if people “disagree” with her earlier remarks, but that “it’s something else entirely when that turns into cyberbullying, or, even worse, watching people cheer on the bullying, which has led to threats of physical harm to me, my husband and our daughter.”

Skinner said she takes “100 percent responsibility” for her polarizing comments, adding that she apologized to her former teammates, who are “the very best of the best.”

Skinner then implored Biles — widely considered to be the greatest gymnast of all time — to take a stand against the bullies.

“To Simone, I am asking you directly and publicly, to please put a stop to this. Please ask your followers to stop,” Skinner said. “You have been an incredible champion for mental health awareness. … We’ve been hurt and attacked in ways that I am certain you never intended.”