Simone Biles found herself facing an unexpectedly harsh reaction after breaking down in tears while saying goodbye to the Texas home where she had lived for six years.
The 29-year-old Olympic champion shared an emotional TikTok documenting the sale of the nearly 4,000-square-foot property she shared with husband Jonathan Owens, explaining that the house had seen her through a major period of her adult life.
“Why the f **k am I boohoo crying? F**k,” Biles said through tears.
But while plenty of people could relate to becoming emotional over a home filled with memories, others were considerably less sympathetic.
“Anything for attention,” was the general sentiment among some critics. “Not a good look.”
Simone Biles broke down while saying goodbye to the home where she said she “grew up”
Biles revealed on Tuesday that the Spring, Texas, property had sold after spending just four days on the market.
She and Owens had lived there together since 2020, years before they eventually married.
“This house will be on the market for the first time and I don’t know why I’m boohoo crying,” she said in the TikTok. “I was here for six years, and I feel like there were just so many good memories, so many bad memories.”
The gymnast then explained why leaving the property had affected her more than she had expected.
“But I feel like I grew up in this house,” she continued. “It’s made me a real adult, so I’m gonna miss it.”
“Ugh, I didn’t think I’d be emotional about a house.”
Biles walked through the now-empty rooms while filming the farewell and also showed viewers the backyard.
@simonebilesowens the house sold in 4 days 😭 I was so excited to put in air freshners for the potential buyers & showing Jonathan the last look. I just cried instead… anyone else? #emotionallyattached ♬ original sound – Simone Biles
Before leaving, she addressed the home’s future owner directly.
“Whoever buys this house, I hope it brings you as much joy as it did for me,” she said.
Biles admitted she had originally been excited about preparing the house for prospective buyers.
“I was so excited to put in air fresheners for the potential buyers and showing Jonathan the last look,” she wrote alongside the video.
“I just cried instead… Anyone else?”
The $1.275 million home sold after only four days on the market
Biles’ emotional farewell came after the property moved considerably faster than she apparently expected.
The four-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom home was listed for $1.275 million.
The Houston Association of Realtors placed the final sale somewhere between $1.08 million and $1.24 million, as the organization does not publicly reveal the exact closing price
The 3,998-square-foot property sits on slightly more than an acre inside a gated community near Spring.
Its amenities included a heated backyard pool and sauna, while the couple also installed a dedicated dog-washing station.
Inside, the house featured a custom wine wall with a refrigerator, a large kitchen island with quartz countertops, a hidden pantry and a spa-inspired primary bathroom.
There was also an oversized three-car garage.
The property officially went under contract on September 26, just four days after it was listed.
The sale then closed on October 15.
Some viewers mocked Biles for crying over the move
The footage prompted a surprisingly unforgiving debate over whether saying goodbye to an expensive house was really something worth crying about.
One commenter said they had moved repeatedly throughout their life without reacting that way.
“I’ve moved over a dozen times in my life, since childhood but never cried, even when leaving good friends,” they wrote.
“Can only imagine what else brings out the tears but sharing how soft you are is not a good look.”
Another person immediately pushed back, explaining that a house could carry emotional significance far beyond its monetary value.
“It was sad the last day I was in my parent’s house that I sold after their passing,” they wrote. “It held many family memories, but it was a NYC house that would no longer serve our family.”
Other critics focused less on the tears themselves and more on Biles’ privileged circumstances. For instance, one commenter brought up the lengthy approval process for the couple’s new home.
“Her newly finished home in the same area took a year to be approved because deed restrictions apply to everyone in the community,” they wrote.
“Their sense of entitlement was rejected.”
Biles was not talking about the custom mansion she and Owens recently finished
Part of the confusion surrounding the video came from viewers assuming Biles was leaving the custom-built mansion she had spent years documenting online.
She clarified in the comments that this was a different property.
Biles and Owens began planning their new Spring home in 2020.
The design process took more than a year, after which the couple had to wait for homeowner association approval before construction could begin in February 2022.
Work on the property ultimately stretched across nearly three years.
The mansion was finally completed on November 11, 2025.
That meant the house Biles tearfully said goodbye to had effectively served as her home while the much larger custom property slowly took shape.
For Biles, the timing also helps explain why she described the older property as the place where she “grew up,” as she had moved into it around the same time her relationship with Owens was beginning.
“Valid emotions,” a fan wrote
