Shanon Biles is the biological mother of Olympic gymnast Simone Biles. But she was not actively involved in raising Simone for most of her childhood.
Simone and her younger sister Adria were adopted by their grandparents, Ron and Nellie Biles, when they were still very young children. To Simone and Adria, they are “Mom and Dad” and Simone described them in her memoir as “the only real parents I’ve ever known.” Simone’s older sister Ashley and older brother Tevin remained in Ohio with their great aunt.
Shanon Biles has said she is very proud of her daughter’s accomplishments. In 2016, she told the Daily Mail that she and Simone were developing a relationship again.
Shanon Biles briefly spoke to The Daily Mail again on July 27 after Simone Biles withdrew from the team finals due to mental health reasons. A reporter spoke to Shanon Biles in front of her home; the outlet reported that Shanon Biles said, “She’s gonna be okay,” when asked for comment about her daughter.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Shanon Biles Is Currently on Probation for Assault, According to Court Records
Franklin County Municipal CourtSimone Biles’ biological mother pleaded guilty to assault in 2019.
Shanon Biles still lives in Columbus, Ohio, where Simone was born. According to Franklin County court records, Shanon Biles is currently on probation. The online record shows her probation is scheduled to end on January 12, 2022.
The arrest report is not publicly available on the Franklin County court website. But according to public information, Shanon Biles was arrested on November 22, 2019, related to an incident that happened on September 15, 2019.
Franklin County Municipal CourtSimone Biles’ biological mother, Shanon, is currently on probation, according to court records.
She faced charges of assault and disorderly conduct. She pleaded guilty to the assault charge and the second one was dismissed, court records show.
She was sentenced to 180 days in jail but based on the online record, it appears the sentence was suspended. Shanon Biles’ probation was set for 730 days.
According to the Franklin County court records, she also pleaded guilty in 2013 to driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Shanon Biles’ driver’s license was suspended for six months in that case. There are several driving-related citations listed on the court website.
2. Shanon Biles Struggled With Addiction & Her 4 Children Were Put in Foster Care
Shanon Biles was born in 1971, according to a search of online records. She listed Shaker Heights in Cleveland as her hometown on her Facebook page. According to an excerpt from Simone’s memoir published by Parade, Ron Biles is Shanon’s father but Nellie Biles is not her mother. The excerpt noted that Shanon was raised in Columbus primarily by her mother.
Shanon’s oldest daughter, Ashley Biles-Thomas, arrived in 1990. Son Tevin Biles-Thomas was born in September 1994, according to a search of the Cuyahoga County court website. Simone was born in March 1997 and Adria arrived in January 1999, according to Parade.
Shanon Biles told The Daily Mail that she met Simone’s biological father, Kelvin Clemons, when they were teenagers. But Clemons was never truly in the picture, NBC News reported.
Simone Biles reflected on her earliest memories in a documentary for Facebook Watch. Simone said she was often hungry as a child and remembered that a cat would be fed but she and her siblings would go without. “I think that’s where it stemmed, why I don’t like cats,” Simone said. “This freaking street cat … she always fed it but she never fed us.”
Ron and Nellie Biles have explained over the years that Shanon Biles struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. She also had legal struggles. Franklin County, Ohio, court records list multiple theft charges before and after Simone was born. Radar reported Shanon spent time behind bars after she was convicted of stealing things like baby formula, shoes and clothes.
Nellie said in the documentary that the family’s neighbors expressed concerns, which resulted in social workers getting involved. Ashley, Tevin, Simone and Adria were put into foster care in 2000, when Simone was 3 years old. The siblings were kept together in foster care. Simone also wrote about this time of her life in her autobiography “Courage to Soar” and in interviews like this one with the “Today” show.
3. Shanon Biles Didn’t See Simone & Adria for 6 Years Following the Adoption
Simone Biles biological mom speaks out t.co/S4zgK4KySn
Ron and Nellie Biles initially took in all four of the children after learning they had been put in foster care. According to Radar, Simone wrote about the transitions in her memoir, “Courage to Soar.”
The siblings initially spent just a few months in Texas. According to Simone’s autobiography, Shanon Biles visited Texas and the older children wanted to return to Ohio with her. Ron and Nellie allowed all four of the children to return to Ohio so as not to separate them. But once back in Ohio, they went back into the foster care system. Shanon Biles never regained custody because of failed drug tests, Radar reported citing Simone’s book.
Ashley and Tevin wanted to stay in Ohio and they were ultimately adopted by their great aunt in Cleveland, the Wall Street Journal reported. Simone and Adria returned to Texas and their grandparents formally adopted them when Simone was 6.
Shanon Biles said she was barred from seeing her younger daughter for another six years after the adoption. She told The Daily Mail, “When we signed the [adoption] papers, it was like my dad flipped a switch on me – no communication, don’t call, and don’t visit. That’s how it was at the beginning,” Shanon said. “I was respecting my dad to let the kids transition, he felt that was the best thing for them. I was still using and he didn’t want me coming in and out of their lives when I wasn’t right.”
Shanon told The Daily Mail she didn’t take the separation well and was angry with her father over it. “I was hard-headed, I didn’t care, screaming, ‘I want to see my kids, why you doing this to me?’ I didn’t understand it at the time but years later, I understood why. I had to deal with me first.”
4. Shanon Biles Says She’s Been Sober Since 2007 & Accused Her Father of ‘Defaming’ Her Character
Shanon Biles spoke publicly during the Rio Olympics in 2016. Simone Biles was getting a lot of media attention as she dominated the Games and her back story was part of the conversation. During interviews with NBC Sports, Ron Biles acknowledged his daughter’s struggles and talked about how he and Nellie had taken in Simone and Adria. The original video appears to have been removed from NBC’s website but TMZ embedded one interview here. In that interview, Ron Biles added that he was the one who named Simone.
Shanon Biles spoke with TMZ Sports in 2016. She said she had been sober since 2007. She also expressed that she was not happy about how her father chose to talk about her to the media.
Shanon Biles told the outlet, “I feel like they’re defaming my character. Because I know it happened. I was struggling back then. But I’ve gotten better and life goes on. And that’s my past and that’s where it should be left at. The past.” She went on, “I feel like he didn’t have to be so harsh about it. I am his firstborn, and he could have been a little bit more classy with it. … He didn’t have to put me under the bus like that.” Shanon added that at the time, she and Simone spoke every few months, had gone on vacation together and that she had been invited to various of her daughter’s events.
5. Shanon Biles Has 2 Younger Children
Team USA’s Simone Biles — Biological Mom Speaks … ‘I’m Sober & I … – t.co/rC9dNz0adU
Shanon Biles had two more children after Ashley, Tevin, Simone and Adria were removed from her custody. The Daily Mail reported in 2016 that her younger children, Taron and Shania, were 12 and 9 at the time.
Shanon Biles told the outlet that all six of her biological children were athletic. She said that when she was a teenager, she played soccer, volleyball, basketball and ran track. She said she also participated in gymnastics for a brief period.
The Daily Mail reported in 2016 that Shanon Biles was “close” with the father of her two younger children, Michael Walker. It’s unclear if they are currently a couple. In Shanon’s 2019 court case, the Franklin County Municipal Court website listed Walker as the person who paid her bond.
READ NEXT: Get to Know More About Simone Biles’ Older Sister, Ashley Biles-Thomas
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Shanon Biles, Simone Biles’ Biological Mother: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know