Celebrities On Dating Apps And The Real Story Of Simone Biles On Raya

The idea that elite athletes and celebrities only meet partners at private parties, industry events, or through carefully arranged introductions gets a reality check from one surprisingly ordinary story. celebrities on dating apps are not always there for publicity or some glamorous matchmaking setup. In Simone Biles’ case, the Olympic champion found her future husband by matching with NFL player Jonathan Owens on Raya in 2020.

And she made the first move. Biles later explained that she saw Owens on the app, thought he was cute, noticed he was in the Houston area, and simply said hi. Owens initially said he did not know who she was. That detail became a major talking point years later, but it also makes their story unusually interesting. Before the Olympic medals, NFL career, wedding photos, and celebrity headlines entered the picture, there were simply two people who matched and started talking.

Their relationship eventually led to an engagement in February 2022 and marriage in April 2023, followed by a larger wedding celebration in Cabo San Lucas. As of 2026, they remain married and continue to publicly support each other’s careers.

How Celebrities On Dating Apps Can Still Meet In A Surprisingly Normal Way

The most interesting part of the Biles and Owens story is not actually the celebrity status. It is how ordinary the beginning was.

Raya is often associated with exclusive matchmaking, celebrity users, and a more selective membership model than mainstream swipe apps. Yet even on a platform with that reputation, the basic interaction still came down to one person seeing another profile and deciding whether to start a conversation.

That is a useful reminder about what dating apps can and cannot do.

Biles Did Not Wait For A Perfect Introduction

According to Biles’ account, she saw Owens on Raya and decided to say hello. She later clarified that although Owens described her as the person who “slid into” his DMs, the practical reality was simpler: they matched, and she was the first to message him. (SI)

There is something refreshing about that detail.

She did not need a mutual celebrity friend to introduce them. She did not need a producer, agent, teammate, or carefully arranged dinner. She saw someone she liked and opened the conversation.

Owens Was Not Initially Approaching Her Because Of Her Fame

This is where the story becomes even more unusual.

Owens has repeatedly said that he did not know who Biles was when they first connected. In an earlier interview, he explained that he had not followed gymnastics and did not immediately recognize the significance of her profile. 

That does not mean he literally had no idea she was a successful person. He noticed her large social-media following. But he was not approaching her with the knowledge that she was one of the most decorated gymnasts in history.

That gave their first interaction a different dynamic.

Their First Date Was Still A Real Date

Matching on an app is easy. Turning the match into something real is where most dating stories become interesting.

The pair moved from chatting to meeting in person within roughly a week or two, according to Biles’ account to WSJ. Magazine. (People.com)

This is an important detail because their story was not built around months of endless texting.

The app created the introduction. The relationship developed offline.

The Pandemic Changed How Quickly They Got To Know Each Other

Their relationship began around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which dramatically changed everyday life.

PEOPLE reports that the unusual amount of time available during lockdown helped the couple get to know each other more deeply. Owens later described that period as important in strengthening their bond. 

So the app was only the opening chapter. The circumstances that followed played a much larger role in developing the relationship.

Raya Dating App Gave Them The Introduction But Not The Relationship

The phrase raya dating app often makes the story sound more glamorous than it actually was.

Raya has a reputation for being selective and attracting people in entertainment, sports, and other public-facing careers. But being on a selective app does not mean the app itself creates compatibility.

The Biles and Owens story is a good example.

What Raya Actually Changed

Raya put two people who might not otherwise have crossed paths into the same digital dating environment.

Biles was training in Texas. Owens had recently moved to Houston after joining the Texans. Their geographic proximity mattered because they were actually able to meet after matching. (Sporting News)

That is an important part of online dating that gets overlooked.

A match is only useful if there is a realistic path from online interaction to real-world compatibility.

The App Did Not Know They Would Become A Married Couple

No algorithm can know that two people will eventually marry.

At the time of the match, the app could only facilitate an introduction. The decisions afterward belonged to Biles and Owens.

They had to decide whether to keep talking, whether to meet, and whether they actually liked one another in person.

That distinction matters when looking at high profile dating stories. The impressive part is not necessarily the app’s matchmaking technology. Sometimes it is simply that the right two people happened to be available to each other at the right moment.

Their Careers Were Not The Main Conversation At First

Owens’ admission that he did not immediately recognize Biles became a huge part of the story after his 2023 podcast appearance. But before the internet turned that detail into a debate, the couple had already spent years building a relationship. (Glamour)

That suggests something worth remembering.

A person’s public résumé and their private personality are two different things.

Biles could be an Olympic champion and still be someone who wanted to know whether a particular guy was funny, kind, interesting, and compatible with her.

A Selective App Can Still Lead To An Ordinary Connection

That is probably the most relatable part.

Even when the platform has a glamorous reputation, the experience can still involve:

• noticing someone’s profile
• wondering whether to message first
• chatting
• arranging a first date
• discovering whether the chemistry exists offline
• deciding whether to continue

The interface may look different from a traditional dating environment, but the emotional uncertainty remains remarkably familiar.

High Profile Dating Does Not Remove The Awkward First Move

One reason the story became so popular is that it reverses an assumption people often make about famous couples.

When someone is extremely successful, people imagine that dating must be easier.

But Biles still had to make the first move.

She Knew What She Wanted Enough To Say Hello

Biles later pushed back on the idea that she was somehow embarrassed about initiating contact.

Her explanation was straightforward: she saw someone she found attractive, knew what she liked, and messaged him.

That is a surprisingly useful lesson for normal dating.

There is no rule saying the person who is interested has to wait for the other person to make the first move.

The First Message Did Not Need To Be Brilliant

There is also no evidence that Biles used some elaborate celebrity-level opening line.

Her account suggests something much simpler.

She said hi.

That matters because dating advice can make first messages sound like strategic copywriting exercises. Sometimes the best opening is simply clear interest without trying too hard to manufacture a personality.

Owens’ Initial Reaction Was Skeptical

Owens later recalled seeing the message and initially thinking the profile might be fake because of how many followers Biles had. He then became curious. (Biography)

That reaction is almost funny in hindsight.

The person receiving the message did not immediately understand the significance of the person sending it.

And that is exactly what can happen when people meet online.

The Power Dynamic Changed Once They Met

On paper, Biles entered the interaction with extraordinary public status.

Owens was also a professional athlete, but Biles’ achievements made her globally recognizable.

Yet their early interaction did not operate like a traditional celebrity-fan encounter.

They were simply two people getting to know each other.

That is one reason high profile dating can be fascinating when it happens online. The screen can temporarily reduce some of the social assumptions that normally surround famous people.

From Digital Romance To A Real Marriage

The story becomes much more meaningful when you stop at the wedding timeline instead of the first match.

A dating app connection is not remarkable merely because it produced a date. Plenty of matches lead nowhere.

Biles and Owens continued building their relationship after that first meeting, became engaged in 2022, and married in 2023. 

That progression is what makes the story worth studying.

2020 Was The Match And The Beginning

The pair met through Raya in March 2020.

Biles made the first move, and they began talking before meeting in person. 

At that point, there was no guarantee that the connection would last.

It was simply a promising start.

2022 Brought The Engagement

Two years later, Owens proposed to Biles.

The engagement showed that their connection had developed far beyond the original app interaction. (CBS News)

That timeline is worth noting because it was not an overnight romance.

They had time to experience one another outside the novelty of matching.

2023 Turned The Match Into A Marriage

The couple married at a Houston courthouse on April 22, 2023. They later held a larger wedding celebration in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in May. 

At that point, Raya was already far behind them.

The app had done its job.

The actual relationship was theirs to build.

Their Story Continued After The Wedding

The relationship did not become interesting only because of the wedding.

The couple have continued supporting each other’s demanding sports careers. Owens attended Biles’ gymnastics events, including her 2024 Olympic run, while Biles has publicly supported his NFL career. In March 2026, she celebrated his move to the Indianapolis Colts after he signed a one-year deal.

That is a useful distinction between a viral dating story and an actual long-term relationship.

The match is the headline.

Everything after it is the substance.

What The Simone Biles Story Says About Celebrities On Dating Apps

The Biles and Owens story does not prove that dating apps are secretly better than meeting people offline.

It does show something simpler: status does not eliminate the basic mechanics of attraction and connection.

The app can create access. It cannot create trust.

A Dating App Can Put Unexpected People In The Same Room

Digital platforms expand the number of people someone can realistically encounter.

For someone with a demanding career, that can be particularly useful.

Biles’ schedule was not exactly built around casually meeting new people every evening. An app gave her a controlled way to browse potential connections when she had the opportunity.

Famous People Still Have To Risk Rejection

This part is easy to forget.

Biles could have chosen not to message Owens.

She could have worried about looking too forward.

She could have assumed that he would message first.

Instead, she said hello.

That is probably more useful to ordinary daters than any celebrity-specific trick.

Digital Romance Still Needs An Offline Reality Check

Online chemistry can be misleading.

Messages can make two people seem highly compatible before they have actually spent time together.

Biles and Owens moved from chatting to meeting relatively quickly. Their relationship then developed through real experiences rather than staying entirely online.

That is a healthier way to understand digital romance.

The digital stage is an introduction, not the destination.

The Real Lesson Is Not To Copy A Celebrity

There is no reason to download Raya expecting the exact same result.

Instead, take the useful part of the story.

If you like someone’s profile, a respectful first message can be enough. You do not need a perfect line, an elaborate strategy, or someone else’s permission to show interest.

And if the conversation goes well, move toward a real interaction where you can actually assess compatibility.

The Biles And Owens Timeline At A Glance

Year	What Happened
2020	Biles and Owens met on Raya and began talking
2020	They moved from the app to an in-person relationship
2022	Owens proposed to Biles
April 2023	They married in Houston
May 2023	They held a larger wedding celebration in Cabo San Lucas
2024	Owens supported Biles during her Olympic comeback in Paris
2026	Biles publicly supported Owens after his move to the Indianapolis Colts

The timeline is based on reporting from PEOPLE, CBS News, and other published accounts of the couple’s relationship.

Why This Story Still Works In 2026

There are plenty of celebrity dating stories that disappear as quickly as they appear.

This one has more staying power because it contains a genuinely relatable beginning.

An Olympic champion saw a guy on a dating app and thought he was cute.

She messaged him.

He replied.

They met.

They kept seeing each other.

Then they got engaged and married.

That sequence is almost comically normal considering who the two people are.

It also explains why celebrities on dating apps remain such an interesting subject. Fame changes the circumstances around dating, but it does not completely erase uncertainty, attraction, awkwardness, or the need to actually get along with another person.

And perhaps the funniest lesson is that a famous person does not always enter a dating app with a huge advantage. When Biles first appeared on Owens’ screen, he did not immediately understand that he was looking at one of the world’s most accomplished gymnasts. 

He was just looking at a profile.

That is probably the closest thing to a power reset a dating app can offer.

If you want another real-world example of a relationship that began through digital interaction, this story of Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams’ digital courtship offers a useful comparison. 

Q&A

Did Simone Biles Really Meet Jonathan Owens On Raya?

Yes. Multiple established publications report that Biles and Owens met on Raya in 2020. Biles has also described seeing his profile and messaging him first.

Who Messaged First, Simone Biles Or Jonathan Owens?

Biles did. Owens has described her as making the first move, while Biles later clarified that they matched and she was simply the first person to message. 

Are Simone Biles And Jonathan Owens Still Together?

Yes. They remain married as of 2026 and have continued publicly supporting each other’s careers. In March 2026, Biles celebrated Owens signing with the Indianapolis Colts. (Us Weekly)