Ryan Lochte’s girlfriend has aimed a thinly-veiled dig at the Olympics star’s estranged wife after her brutal condemnation of his parenting.
Kayla Reid filed for divorce from the six-time Olympic gold medalist in March 2025 but it has still not been finalized.
In an interview with People this week, Reid slammed the swimmer and claimed he is not a good father to their three children: Caiden, 8, Liv, 6, and Georgia, 2.
‘Obviously, we’re not in a good place,’ she said. ‘I really pray that he becomes the father our kids deserve.’
Those comments seemingly did not go down well with Lochte’s new girlfriend, Molly Gillihan, and she called out ‘harsh unkind people’ on Instagram just hours later.
‘Don’t regret being a good person to the harsh unkind people,’ read her story. ‘Your actions say everything about you, and their words and actions say everything about them.
Ryan Lochte’s new girlfriend has aimed a thinly-veiled dig at the Olympics star’s ex-wife
Lochte and his estrange wife Kayla Reid share three children: Caiden, 8, Liv, 6, and Georgia, 2
‘Stay kind, even when they don’t deserve it. Be kind because God will take care of it.’
In the following post, she shared a picture of herself with Lochte and their combined six children. ‘Finally got a car that fits the whole crew!’ the kindergarten teacher wrote.
Lochte and Gillihan moved in with each other back in January after going public with their romance in July 2025.
The news of the Lochte’s divorce was made public a month earlier when Kayla posted a long message on her Instagram account. In court filings, Kayla alleged that the ex-swimmer used drugs in front of their children.
‘Earlier this year, I made the hard decision to end my marriage after deep prayer and reflection,’ she wrote at the time.
‘I hold marriage in the highest regard, so this has been one of the most painful, revealing, and challenging seasons of my life. I’ve been hesitant to share until I could do so from a place of healing — not from fresh, open wounds.’
Lochte stressed that he did not take drugs in front of his kids, telling People, ‘I am not denying that I used drugs in my home, but I adamantly deny ever using drugs in front of or around my children, and I have never driven them while intoxicated.’
The divorce proceedings have led to Lochte selling off three of his gold medals.
Molly Gillihan uploaded a post about ‘unkind people’ to Instagram hours after Reid’s comments
She also posted a picture of her and Lochte with the six children they share out for a drive
Lochte previously sold six bronze and silver Olympic medals for $166,000 in 2022, but has now rid himself of his 4×200-meter freestyle relay gold medal from the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics ($183K), which he won with Michael Phelps, as well as his 2004 Athens Summer Olympics 4×200-meter relay gold medal ($80K) and 2016 Rio Summer Olympics 4×200-meter freestyle relay gold medal ($122K).
The swimmer issued a statement, saying: ‘I also would like to clarify the selling of my medals. I never swam for the gold medals. My passion has always been about being one of the best swimmers in the world.
‘Those medals? They were just the cherry on top of an incredible journey. With 90 international medals – including Olympics, world championships, Pan Pacs, and Pan Am Games – I’ve been fortunate to achieve more than any swimmer out there.’
During his career in the pool, Lochte picked up six Olympic Gold medals in total, with another six – either silver or bronze – alongside them. Seven of those were individual.
When addressing the sale of his medals, Lochte also delved into his divorce with Reid – admitting his own failures in the marriage but claimed that ‘we didn’t fully know each other.’
‘Navigating personal challenges in public can be incredibly tough, and I am thankful the opportunity to clarify my recent post about my ex-wife.
‘I understand that my words have sparked a lot of backlash, and I want to express that my intention was never to hurt anyone but to share my honest feelings.
‘There’s a lot happening behind the scenes that I’ve chosen to keep private to protect my kids. I recognize that Kayla has shared our wedding vows on her page to highlight the authenticity of what we once had.
The Team USA Olympic legend moved into a new home with his new girlfriend back in January
In March, Lochte’s ex-wife Kayla filed for divorce alleging he did drugs in front of their kids
‘While I respect that, I still stand by my belief that we didn’t fully know each other, and honestly, I didn’t know myself or who I was. I am very thankful for our three children and the love we shared at that time.
‘Therapy has been a transformative journey for me, helping me uncover insights about myself that I previously overlooked. I’m making a tremendous effort to separate myself from the past, as I’ve truly moved on.
‘I deeply regret any disappointment I’ve caused to those in my life, including the mother of my children. I would be lying if I said I was a good husband, I wasn’t. I’m committed to working on myself every day.’
Lochte is currently attempting to rebrand his image after a career defined by both world records and high-profile scandals.
He is currently penning a tell-all memoir detailing his battles with drug and alcohol addiction, as well as the infamous ‘fake robbery’ scandal at the Rio 2016 Games.
The swimmer previously described the aftermath of Rio as his ‘lowest point,’ claiming he turned to substances to cope with the shame.
He has also struggled with the physical and mental fallout of a near-death car crash in 2023, which he says led to a spiral of ‘depression and loneliness.’
Now sober and dating kindergarten teacher Gillihan, Lochte has said that he is focused on his children.
‘There’s a lot happening behind the scenes that I’ve chosen to keep private to protect my kids,’ he told his Instagram followers earlier this month.
