So anyway, sorry for anything that got out of context or seemed hurtful. That is never my intention,” the former Olympian said in a video posted to her Instagram Stories
Olympic gymnast MyKayla Skinner acknowledges the crowd before throwing out the first pitch prior to the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres at Chase Field on May 03, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona.
MyKayla Skinner is apologizing amid a controversy over her comments decrying the current U.S. women’s gymnastics team heading to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
On Wednesday, July 3, the former gymnast posted a video on her Instagram Stories, claiming that the YouTube video where she criticized the “work ethic” of the Team USA gymnasts was “misinterpreted.”
She captioned the Instagram post, “Just clearing up what had been said on my current video!”
In the apology video, Skinner said, “Hey, guys, just wanted to pop on here really quick, because I know we did the recap on YouTube, and I feel like a lot of you guys had misinterpreted or misunderstood exactly what I was meaning or had said.”
She further claimed that “a lot of the stuff” she talked about in the YouTube video “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.”
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Skinner added, “It was more about going back into my own gym, just the work ethic is different compared to when we were doing gymnastics in the [former team coordinator] Márta [Károlyi] era. And I’m not sticking up for Márta or saying what she did was good, I’m just saying it was different.”
MyKayla Skinner, Sunisa Lee, Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum and Jade Carey of Team United States pose for a picture during Women’s Podium Training ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on July 22, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan
MyKayla Skinner, Sunisa Lee, Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum and Jade Carey of Team United States pose for a picture during Women’s Podium Training ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The former Olympian then apologized for her comments. “So anyway, sorry for anything that got out of context or seemed hurtful. That is never my intention,” she said. “And seriously, throughout the video, I was so pumped for the girls, and it was so fun watching trials and doing a live with everybody.”
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Skinner reiterated that she “loves” the women on the current squad and is “seriously so happy for them.”
“I would never do anything to make them feel otherwise. So sorry if that came out wrong. That was not my intention at all,” Skinner concluded.
In another statement, shared with PEOPLE through a representative, Skinner said, “I want to formally apologize to Team USA and to our gymnastic community for my comments during my recent YouTube episodes of the gymnastics Olympic trials.”
“It was not my intention to offend or disrespect any of the athletes or to take away from their hard work. Your hard work and dedication has paid off and I congratulate each and every one of you,” she continued. “Upon reflection I was comparing the ‘Marta Era’ to the current era. I am coming to terms that I have not fully dealt with the emotional and verbal abuse I endured under Marta that perhaps led to my hurtful comments. I take full responsibility for what I said and I deeply apologize.”
Skinner 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. I wish you all the very best in Paris. I will be cheering you all on! Go Team USA!”
On June 30, Team USA named the five gymnasts competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics – which begin July 26. Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera are on the team with traveling replacement athletes Joscelyn Roberson and Leanne Wong.
In Skinner’s now-deleted YouTube video, she criticized the team, minus Biles, who has 37 world championships and Olympic medals to her name.
“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be,” the 2020 Olympic vault silver medalist said as captured in a video on social media. “Just notice like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.”
She went on to claim that the required abuse awareness training program SafeSport was one of the reasons why she feels the work ethic has changed, saying, “Coaches can’t get on athletes, and they have to be really careful what they say.”
USA Gymnastics utilized SafeSport — an independent organization that works to prevent and address athlete abuse — more following the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case in 2018, and after cutting ties with longtime Team USA coaches Márta and Bela Károlyi. Several gymnasts had stated in the Nassar case that they were sexually abused by the doctor while in Károlyi facilities.
Since posting the video, people on or connected to the current team have seemingly responded to Skinner’s comments. Biles posted on Instagram Threads, “not everyone needs a mic and a platform,” while Chiles’ mother Jordan wrote, “Whoa. She really said that out loud and posted it. That’s something….”
After winning a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for vault, Skinner has not competed. She and her husband, Jonas Harmer, welcomed their first child, daughter Charlotte, in Sept. 2023.
