Riley Gaines defended by Hollywood star amid trans athlete row with Simone Biles: ‘American hero!’
Hollywood actor Rob Schneider has publicly backed Riley Gaines following her recent clash with Olympic gymnast Simone Biles over transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
The 61-year-old comedian, known for his collaborations with Adam Sandler, praised Gaines on social media Friday morning.
Schneider wrote: “I am proud to call Riley Gaines my biological female friend. And an American hero of all girls everywhere!”
His support comes days after Biles apologised for personal attacks against Gaines during their heated exchange about transgender participation in female sports.
I am proud to call Riley Gaines my biological female friend.
And an American hero of all girls everywhere! https://t.co/9oVrYrttms— Rob Schneider 🇺🇸 (@RobSchneider) June 13, 2025
The feud began when Gaines mocked the Minnesota state softball champions Champlin Park, who won with transgender pitcher Marissa Rothenberger.
“Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy,” Gaines posted on X.
Biles responded by calling Gaines “truly sick” and accusing her of campaigning against transgender athletes because she “lost a race.”
The seven-time Olympic gold medallist referenced Gaines’ fifth-place finish alongside transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
The gymnast then escalated the feud with a personal attack: “Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.”
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bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male @Riley_Gaines_
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) June 6, 2025
She also taunted Gaines as a “straight up sore loser” for her advocacy work following the race result.
Four days after the initial exchange, Biles issued a public apology on X: “I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport.
“The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologise for.
“These are sensitive, complicated issues that I truly don’t have the answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect.”
Gaines accepted the apology: “I accept Simone’s apology for the personal attacks including the ones where she body-shamed me. I know she knows what this feels like. She’s still the greatest female gymnast of all time.”
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Riley Gaines and Simone Biles had been involved in an online feud relating to trans athletes
Getty
After returning to the White House, he signed an executive order banning transgender women from competing in female sports, with Gaines attending the signing ceremony.
“I welcome you to the fight to support fair sports and a future for female athletes. Little girls deserve the same shot to achieve that you had,” Gaines urged.
USA Gymnastics announced they were reassessing their transgender athlete policy following the controversy.
The organisation told Fox News they had removed guidance from their website to “assess compliance with the current legal landscape.”
Schneider’s public endorsement adds to growing support for protecting women’s sports categories.
