Relationship Expert Tells Us Zac Efron And Simone Biles Would've Made A Great Power Couple

We all have a celeb crush or two — even record-breaking Olympians. On "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2016, U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles revealed her crush on movie star Zac Efron. Efron proceeded to address said crush on X, formerly Twitter, and an internet flirtation that we're still swooning over commenced. The pair went on to meet IRL, but it didn't seem to go further than that. Years later, we're left wondering: was the romance between the leading man and the superstar athlete anything more than innocent flirting? Well, as far as one professional matchmaker is concerned, it could have been a definite love match. And we're invested in all the reasons why.

While Biles technically made the first move by spreading the word about her crush, Efron kicked off their legendary internet interaction. After news broke on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Efron retweeted Biles' photo. "Thanks for the heads up @TheEllenShow!" he captioned the retweet, adding a "Good luck at the Olympic trials" for Biles. The gymnast had the most relatable response, writing, "OH MY GOSH I THINK I AM GOING TO PASS OUT OH MY GOSH CRYING! THANK YOU," and the back-and-forth continued. Cute? Yes, but did they really have potential? We spoke with Susan Trombetti, matchmaker and CEO of Exclusive Matchmaking, and she thinks there are some clear reasons why the answer is yes. After all, as she put it, "Who wouldn't want to see Simone, America's sweetheart, with Zac Efron?"

When Zac Efron and Simone Biles were chatting each other up on X back in 2016, the world was invested in this made-for-fan-fiction story. "At first, it was innocent banter like when someone has a celebrity crush, but then it turned into 'Is it cute or is it actual flirting?' going on, leaving us to guess. They were almost flirting with us, and their flirtation was adorable," matchmaker Susan Trombetti explained. Efron ultimately made the biggest gesture in the whole flirtation-ship and surprised Biles and her winning teammates on "The Today Show." Efron and Biles both gave each other a smooch on the cheek and posted photos of the rendezvous on social media. Biles even captioned her Instagram post "on cloud 9" and tagged Efron.

It's clear that this interaction was a total dream come true for Biles, but Trombetti thinks it was also evidence that the pair may have actually been compatible. "The cute banter going back and forth on X shows a strong connection, along with the fact that he flew to meet her during the last Olympics," Trombetti explained. She added that Biles "is a superstar, and he would be lucky to have her, but those cute videos of them kissing each other on the cheek show comfort and ease with each other and a strong connection."

A couple needs more than a mutual crush to make a lasting relationship work. And, it's impossible to know all of the factors that might have prevented Simone Biles and Zac Efron from really becoming an item. Susan Trombetti noted that when the two met, "Zac just went through a breakup and perhaps would have still been processing it back then and was not ready for another serious relationship." Efron had just called it quits with businesswoman Sami Miró after nearly two years together. Trombetti also explained that actually ending up with your celeb crush may not be all it's cracked up to be. "I would mention that sometimes we build crushes up in our heads to what we think they are like, and then, we find out they are human," she said, adding, "They aren't the perfect person we imagined them to be, and they fall off the pedestal."

Since their meeting, though, a bigger roadblock in their potential romance has revealed itself. "Alas, that strong connection is probably going to be a friendship for now since [Biles] is married," Trombetti noted. In 2023, Biles tied the knot with football player Jonathan Owens. So, like most celebrity crushes in history, this one may have to remain the stuff of daydreams. If fate were to bring them together again, though, who knows. As Trombetti put it, "I don't know if there is anything about them in particular that suggests things wouldn't have worked out."