Fans are eager to learn more about whether Simone Biles was adopted, especially in the wake of the documentary Simone Biles Rising, which debuts on Netflix on July 17, 2024. The first two episodes of the docuseries share some details about the Olympic gymnast's time in foster care and her adoption. Biles has been candid about her experiences with the system in the past, but the documentary offers an additional perspective from her adoptive mother, Nellie Biles, the wife of Simone's adoptive father and grandfather, Ronald Biles. Here's what we know about how Simone Biles was adopted, her biological parents, and her experiences in foster care.

Simone Biles was officially adopted in 2003 when she was six years old by her grandfather, Ronald Biles, and his second wife, Nellie Biles. They also adopted Simone's younger sister, Adria Biles.

When Simone was 3, she and her siblings went into foster care because her biological mother, Shanon Biles, struggled with drug and alcohol abuse. Simone's biological father, Kelvin Clemons, was never a part of her life, according to Life & Style magazine. Simone recalled her struggles during that time, saying in Simone Biles Rising that she didn't know where she would end up or "if there would be food on the table."

According to Nellie in the documentary, Simone and her siblings spent six to nine months in foster care before they were able to bring them all into their Spring, Texas, home. Nellie recalls that at one point Simone was separated from her siblings during that tumultuous six- to nine-month period. But after two years in the Texas home, she and Adria were officially adopted by Ron and Nellie in 2003, while Simone's two older siblings, Ashley and Tevon, were adopted by Ronald's sister, Harriet. For Ron and Nellie, Simone says that "probably the hardest thing for them was not only bringing us in, but also seeing if they could repair our trauma."