Simone Biles has been living her best life. She attended the Milano Cortina Olympics as a spectator in February and launched her restaurant, A Taste of Gold, in Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport in March. Most recently, Simone attended the Laureaus World Sports Awards in Madrid, which honored her last year as a Sportswoman of the Year. In Madrid, she walked the red carpet in an ivory feathered minidress by Cong Tri. She was styled by Marc Desir. The dress is a bit unconventional, but she really rocked it. Her hair and makeup were stunning, too.
Simone, who always keeps it real on social media, recently made a TikTok video that broke down how much her appearance at the awards event actually cost. While acknowledging that everything is “expensive as f-ck” nowadays, Simone said that her glam squad bill cost $23k. She asked any of her followers who would be in the know if that price tag was the norm.
In a TikTok video shared on Monday night, the gymnast divulged the shocking amount she spent getting glam with the help of a professional team.
“We need to have a discussion … I just need to know if this is normal,” the gymnast asked the camera, wearing a tight brown T-shirt and matching sweatpants.
“I know going outside is expensive as f—k these days, but like is it this expensive, ok?” she began.
Without referencing a specific event, the gold medalist revealed that between her stylist, hair and makeup artists, her “grand total” for a recent outing came to $23,000, adding, “I just want to know, is that f—king normal?”
Biles deadpanned, “If that’s the new norm, y’all can have it. Y’all will never see me at another event.”
“I’m going to sit my ass right here where it’s free. I’ve been kind of spiraling since then,” she continued.
Her last red carpet appearance was on April 20 at the Laureaus World Sports Awards in Madrid, where the gymnast wowed in a sculptural minidress from Vietnamese brand Cong Tri, styled by Marc Desir.
“Basically the Oscars… but make it sports🤏🏾🤍,” she captioned the pics on Instagram. “First @laureussport World Sports Awards as an ambassador and I’m feeling inspired by every story in the room✨.”
Though Biles flaunts her custom Owens looks and designer handbags sitting in the VIP box to support her husband on game days, she posted the video to question whether or not she had been financially taken advantage of in a way that she shouldn’t have been.
“There’s no ill intent,” she assured viewers, “I just need to know if this is normal,” adding, “there’s no way you are paying these prices each and every time … there’s just no way.”
Fans were aghast in the comment section, with fellow Olympian Mikaela Shiffrin chiming in, “Girl, I’ve been wondering the same 🤯.”
$23,000 for hair/makeup/stylist fees seems like so much money to me. Some of those steep fees are likely for travel and accommodations, but I don’t blame Simone for asking her massive network if that’s the norm or not. Based on the responses she got in her comments, it seems like other people who’ve used glam squads before thought so too. I’ve always taken it for granted that when celebrities are dressed up for big events, the studios they’re representing pay for their clothing, jewelry, and hair/makeup. I also figured that influencers and athletes were a different story and that while they paid for their hair/makeup, some of them got the perk of wearing whatever they could promote for free. Simone is such a big draw that I can’t believe she had to pay so much for her red carpet look! She did the celebrity equivalent of asking around. I would do the exact same thing. She looked just as gorgeous as always at the event. Even so, if I were her, I wouldn’t want to drop that much money either.
Simone Biles is flipping out over the price tag of her recent red carpet event. (🎥: TikTok) pic.twitter.com/NNqVOpvJUO
— E! News (@enews) April 29, 2026
Photos credit: José Oliva/Europa Press/Avalon, BFA.com/Backgrid, Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, IMAGO/Alberto Gardin/Avalon, Jennifer Graylock-Graylock.com/Avalon
She’s absolutely gorgeous as ever.
Perhaps they purchased the dress and paid for alterations? Hair can be a lot too. But I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a celebrity upcharge.
I assumed that she hired glam squads before since she goes to a lot of events. Maybe it was more expensive because she was in Europe.
That price doesn’t include the dress, right? Like that custom piece was a freebie. But still: glam squad per diem + travel (and extra luggage charges) + hotel rooms = pricey.
Meanwhile, male sports stars are wearing maybe a nice suit and free kicks from their sponsor.
Oh man with all that per-diem and travel I’m thinking it could have been even worse!
Right. So. If that is not including the dress (which might cost $23k on its own, and that would actually be relatively cheap, bearing in mind an haute couture wedding gown will run you about $200k) I’m thinking her hairstylist charges something like $2500 / day and for this job she was booked for 2 days, plus a round-trip flight, plus one night at a nice hotel. Round trip transatlantic flights can run between 1200 (low) and 5000 (high). Guess it was about 3500. A nice hotel will be about 1500 / night. Plus meals, add another 250. Tips, another 50. That is half your total. Add one makeup artist and double that amount, you get her total. Add a stylist you’re looking at her figure (23k) plus whatever equates to 15% of the value of the dress. That’s one way of assessing fees. Stylists don’t travel with you. They put you in touch with a designer. Once they make the connection, they are working on commission, they get a percentage of the price you pay for the clothes.
I like that she says she never wants to go to another event again if it costs this much. I wouldn’t want to either, even though I understand stylists need to be paid as well for their services (and probably have their own reasons for how they charge).
The event was in Spain? Did she hire stylists there or bring them with her? I’m thinking the overseas part of this is what raised the expense. And that she doesn’t always do this.
That’s too much to pay niece! I need her team to tighten things up ASAP.
The best thing to do, if you have to travel, is just do some research on the local scene, and book an hour with a local hairdresser for the day of the event. If you travel with one person, who does your makeup, that’s the one person you want with you. And they can usually fix up your hair, too, if it’s humid / raining.
Definitely an incentive to learn some tricks to do as much as you can on your own. Not to keep people from earning but that’s a lot. My entire income is not much more than that as I am on disability. So it seems super high to me obviously.
I am surprised there isn’t a business/ agency that has local makeup artists and maybe tailors/seamstresses who do minor hemming and steam press garments, plus polish shoes.
They could train up people in Paris and other places such as NYC so celebrities and others get expertise and don’t have to pay travel for their crew.
Those makeup artists and tailors, etc. could do multiple people just like before a fashion show.
A “stylist” could still help pick out the outfit and accessories but they shouldn’t need to travel.
Nice to hear someone with that much money express outrage over that. I would bet they upped their charges because of her status.
Just checked her restaurants reviews, and they are surprisingly good for an airport restaurant.
I have a family member whose partner is on a very famous relatively new TV show. the awards circuit was not a surprise to either of them as part of the gig but she has expressed how hard the events situation is. It is essentially a week of their life for every show- facials, diets, fittings, hair and makeup trials, nails, hair and makeup day of and of course the stylist’s fee which doubles les if it’s both of them.
It’s exhausting for a family and of course now it’s an essential part of the world especially for women.
The cost is high if you aren’t at a certain level on the call sheet too.
I totally get where Simone is coming from.
She and her husband are goals for how gorgeous they looked in the adorable purple outfits. Well, not goals, because I could never achieve that, but damn, they look good together.