Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ryan Lochte is fighting back against the claims that he cheated on his now-ex-wife with his new girlfriend.
Lochte was married to former Playboy Playmate Kayla Rae Reid, who filed for divorce in March of 2025.
On an episode of her podcast ‘The Comeback Era with Caroline and Kayla,’ Reid claimed that Lochte and his current girlfriend, Molly Gillihan, began their relationship before the married couple separated.
‘I’m so happy for him,’ Reid said with heavy sarcasm. ‘They’ve been happy for a very long time. Very long time. For many years. They go way back.’
Lochte and Gillihan both defended themselves, posting screenshots of Instagram DMs the pair shared expressing their interest after the divorce began.
In one conversation dated late February 2025, Lochte is seen writing, ‘me and wife are separating, no bad blood between us, but rather tell you more on the phone then [sic] through here 🙂 here’s my number.’
Ryan Lochte and his girlfriend, Molly Gillihan, are clapping back at Lochte’s ex-wife
The swimmers’s ex-wife, Kayla Rae Reid, has accused the swimming legend of cheating on her with his new girlfriend while they were still married
But Gillihan posted screenshots of messages they shared showing they didn’t begin speaking until after Reid filed for divorce in late March of 2025
Another message dated April 2025 came after Reid officially filed for divorce in court on March 26, 2025.
When Gillihan wrote that Lochte was ‘a married man,’ Lochte replied, ‘Haha no I’m not, u did t [sic] know we’re going through the divorce right now.’
Gillihan posted these screenshots to her social media with the caption, ‘I’ll just leave this here 🙂 #liesforclickbait’ while tagging Lochte.
Lochte tole People Magazine, ‘I absolutely was not faithful to my ex-wife and I have no excuse but to continue to say I have grown and learned so much from my past and I am working on myself and my character every single day.
‘I love Molly and the family we have so much and it breaks my heart to see Molly dragged into this because never, not one time, did Molly and I have any sort of inappropriate relationship while I was with Kayla.
‘I reached out to Molly after I was served divorce papers and living on my own.’
Earlier this year, the 41-year-old swimmer confirmed he had moved into a new home with Gillihan, a 37-year-old kindergarten teacher, and her three children.
‘I fell in love with someone who shares those same values and who has three children of her own,’ Lochte told People in January, describing their new life as a ‘family of six kids.’
Lochte and Gillihan moved into a new home together back in January of this year
Lochte’s new girlfriend recently aimed a thinly-veiled dig at the Olympics star’s ex-wife
Pictured: Lochte, his ex-wife Kayla and two of the three children that the former couple share
‘She’s my best friend, our kids have formed an incredible bond, and it became clear that being together under one roof was the right next step for all of us,’ he added.
However, the ‘blended family’ bliss has been marred by Reid’s recent claims that her estranged husband is not the father their children ‘deserve.’
Gillihan appeared to fire back at the realtor via Instagram just one day later, posting a message directed at ‘harsh’ and ‘unkind people’ who speak out against others.
‘Don’t regret being a good person to [them],’ Lochte’s new girlfriend wrote. ‘Your actions say everything about you, and their words and actions say everything about them.’
She concluded her post by urging followers to ‘stay kind, even when they don’t deserve it,’ adding that ‘God will take care of it.’