*Gabby Douglas has certainly stolen the stage of the Olympics and the hearts of Americans with her infectious smile and all around excellent work.
But there’s more to this young 16-year-old athlete.
She recently slammed her father, Timothy Douglas, calling him a deadbeat, riding on her mother’s struggling finances.
“It was really hard for us growing up – my dad had left us, so he wasn’t really in the picture anymore,” Douglas, 16, told the NY Post. “So my mom had to front all these bills. My dad didn’t really pay the child support. He was short [on money]. It was definitely hard on her part, and she had to take care of me and the rest of my siblings.”
Douglas had said that even after winning her two gold medals, she still hadn’t spoken to her father, an Air Force staff sergeant who has served in Afghanistan.
Although she’s pretty good at keeping her composure, her personal struggles at times creep up on her and show up in her performances. The other night, she faltered during the last bits of her routine during the uneven bars, finishing the round last.
“Toward the end of the Olympics, you get physically tired and drained. And no matter how much rest you have, your body is tired,” she said. “I made a little mistake, but I’m human . . . I don’t know, you just get to mentally, you’re just so tired.”
But all is well. She is still the first African American female gymnast to grasp the gold in all-around.
The story of her father not being there and her parents separating is nothing new it happens ot millions of families across the US. Gabby is a strong young lady and I wish her and her family the best. I bet now that she is an olympic champ/celeb with a bright financial future her father will come around more often “mark my words”
Of course, he’ll be in touch much more now.
Child support detractors coming to a thread near you in 10….9…8…7..6…
Ok, they need to hire a PR Rep QUICK now that she is becoming a public figure. This is too much!
Correct Diva!!
You beat me to it.
I couldn’t agree more . . . .here’s a couple things: she’s heading into the dark zone .. . .someone needs to shut her down, there’s too many side-bar articles, soon they’ll find out mom used to shoplift Enfamil or been married 8 times. . . . . . . . .ez33720, read the same thing about her skyping with him. Lastly, I’m a retired from the USAF, I know that for a fact, having worked in finance, that if her mom needed support for dependents, military doesn’t have a problem garneshing anyone’s wages. She could go to ANY base in the U.S. or abroad.
I think the press would have searched for this information anyway because she is not mixed. Does the military garnish wages if the child was born out of wedlock? I haven’t heard anything about Gabby’s mom being married. Do her siblings have the same daddy as she does?
yes rough’, they do. They also get base privileges, i.e. Base EXchnage, commissary, medical, dental, the whole nine aaaaaand if the child is out of wedlock, the only place THE MOTHER can’t go is the liquor store b/c, this is ONLY for the child, the unmarried mother gets no such privileges. . .married/separated personnel with dependents can go anywhere else. Oh and the amount of privileges for divorced spouse depends on how long they were married, 10yrs or more you’re good to go. . . . . some of the other kids look alike, i saw a light skinned one, thought maybe it was one of Michael’s (LoL)
That is the FIRST thing I thought of. The beginning of Michael Jackson’s downfall was when he started granting interviews, beginning most notably with Martin Bashir. THAT was the beginning of the end.
This is weird about her father because I had just read that her father talked to her before the Olympic trials and it said that he was cheering her on from Afghanistan and that it was hard for him to call from where he’s stationed. Well…it’s two sides to every story. It won’t be the first time a father has come out of nowhere when his child becomes famous.
And it won’t be the last time they come out of the woodwork once the child is doing well.
I would like to see the story confirmed(resources) ..that Gabby ACTUALLY stated as such about her daddy..because the black media & BLACK FOLKS has a tendency to make up stories its always about the single mother with children and the dad leaving or not being around .. and this could very well have been one made up story by the black media(EURWEB)..show your resources..
..if there was no child support..then the mother didn’t want any..which doesn’t give away for the dad..to not put money away for his daughter..he’s in the military so the mother could have gotten child support .. and its been confirmed he later showed a his daughters event in london..he was spotted in the crowd with Gabby’s family on TV at the event made know by the narrator..
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She needs to hire a PR to hide from the truth? I remember before you guys were upset that the father wasn’t mentioned in a article as being part of her life and now that she mention that it’s true you are treating it as a taboo topic. I need some of you in person. I feel saddened.
I agree that Gabby needs to stop talking to the media directly. She needs a PR person to handle that. At 16 she is easy prey and they will take everything she says and twist it. Plus, she will need a professional or two to represent her for possible endorsement deals, etc… I watched and interview with Mary Lou Retton and she said that Gabby’s life will never be the same. She needs someone who knows what they are doing to look out for her interests.
I also agree with Deuteronomy- I don’t believe these are Gabby’s actual words. I’ve read other news sources and saw news reports where she skypes her dad regulary while he’s in Afganistan and they have a great relationship and he has always [emotionally] supported her. For the record, her mother and father were married and later separated and divorced. I don’t know if the divorce happened before or after he became military.
I hope Gabby just chills out and enjoys her recent success for now and then gets proper representation moving forward.
Personally I really don’t think Gabby will get the deals imagined. Just look at what happened with Venus and Serena. Most companies don’t want a dark brown female face repping for them. Just pick up any magazine or check out the ads already running featuring Lolo and other members of the various Olympic teams.
The tiring story of every black man abandoning his kids and refusing to support them financially is one that the media is relentless in telling. The claim that Gabby’s dad “didn’t want to pay child support” might very well be due to the fact that he faced financial struggles and simply was not able to. Why is everyone is so eager to label him as a deadbeat who never cared, returning after years of neglect to collect on credit and fame for his daughters Olympic accomplishments?
http://scallywagandvagabond.com/2012/08/gabby-douglas-dad-a-deadbeat-media-still-cant-resist-portraying-black-men-as-deadbeat-fathers-arrested-for-child-neglect/