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Olympic gymnast Suni Lee is not married, but she “is in a relationship with Jaylin Smith, a USC Trojan football player,” according to her Team USA biography.
The pair faced a racial “backlash” when they went Instagram official as boyfriend and girlfriend in 2021, Us Weekly reported.
Smith is a senior cornerback for the USC Trojans college football team, the team’s website says. Lee revealed that Smith was her boyfriend on Instagram in December 2021, according to Us Weekly.
Smith and Lee currently have no pictures of each other on their Instagram pages, leading some fans to question on Smith’s comment thread whether they are still together. Smith’s posts show him playing football or wearing athletic gear. He hasn’t mentioned Lee or the Olympics on his X page, either.
Similarly, Lee’s Instagram page is devoid of mentions of Smith and focuses on her Olympic achievements.
Lee’s Instagram post announcing the relationship, which sparked the backlash, is now deleted. People Magazine reported that the backlash centered on the interracial romance and resulted in “negative comments from her own Hmong-American community.”
Essence GU also reported that Lee, 21, was “the target of racially charged backlash on social media after making her relationship public” with Smith in the December 26, 2021, Instagram post. In the photos she shared, according to Essence, the pair “are seen hugging one another affectionately in black hoodies.”
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GettySunisa Lee of Team United States practices on the balance beam during a Gymnastics training session in the Bercy Arena ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 25, 2024.
NBC Sports reported that Lee is the “first Team USA gymnast of Hmong descent to compete and subsequently win the individual all-around competition at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.” According to a press release from USA Gymnastics, she will compete against Simone Biles in Paris. Biles and Lee “are set to become the first two Olympic all-around champions to face one another in women’s artistic gymnastics final competition,” the press release says.
A TikTok User Defended the Relationship Between Suni Lee & Jaylin Smith, Prompting a Positive Response From Lee
One fan on TikTok defended Lee in a video. “I know that Sunisa will be judged by certain eyes in the Hmong American Community because her man is Black. LOVE is LOVE, no matter what race or gender you are. Keep doing you QUEEN,” they wrote.
The comments under the video are now turned off; according to Essence GU, Lee initially responded in the comment thread, writing, “This makes me so happy,” she wrote. “I’ve received so much hate😭 they support me when it’s beneficial for them never when it comes to my happiness. thank you!💗”
Her comments formed the basis for the news reports about a backlash to the relationship.
According to Us Magazine, Lee was only 18 years old when the controversy erupted.
Jaylin Smith Is a College Football Player, Communication Major & Once Appeared on a Netflix Series With Snoop Dogg
“In his 3-year collegiate career, Smith has 123 tackles, including 8.5 for loss (with 2 sacks), 3 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, 1 QB hurry, and an INT, while appearing in 33 games with 22 starts,” the USC web page for Smith reads.
“He is majoring in Communication at USC,” it adds.
“2024: Smith, a veteran in the Trojan secondary, will return to make an impact at cornerback as a senior in 2024,” it says.
According to Life & Style, Smith appeared in Snoop Dogg’s Netflix series, “Coach Snoop,” as a football player on the rapper’s team. The magazine reported that Smith spoke about his mother, who “died in a hit-and-run when he was young.”
The USC Trojans website confirms, “He was in the Netflix show ‘Coach Snoop,’ about rapper Snoop Dogg and his Snoop Youth Football League.”
“Every time I scored, I’d hear her screaming on the sideline,” Smith told producers on the show, according to Life & Style, about his mom. “So you know, I miss her being on the sideline with me. I cry sometimes, but I don’t like to show my emotions on anything. I’m a strong guy. Imma grieve on the field. I’m gonna make sure you feel it because you on a different team from me.”
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