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Morgan captured a lot of hearts on 'Cheer' this season.
By Nicole Pomarico — Written on Jan 18, 2020
For the past couple of weeks since its release on Netflix, there's been some serious buzz about the streaming service's docu-series Cheer. Not only is it fascinating to follow along with the sport of competitive cheerleading leading up to a major competition, but the show has also introduced fans to a group of cheerleaders the world is falling in love with.
Among those is Morgan Simianer, a member of the Navarro College team with a difficult backstory. But who is Morgan Simianer?
1. Simianer is passionate about cheerleading and loves her coach, Monica Aladama.
On the show, Simianer shared how much cheering at Navarro meant to her, and this has been her second year on the team. She's also credited Aldama, the Navarro coach, with changing her life, and even said that she'd take a bullet for her — that's some serious dedication.
And as far as what Simianer has shared on Cheer, it seems that working with Aldama has also helped her find her own love for herself. “If Monica believes in me enough to put me in, then I should be able to trust myself,” she said on the show. "I'd do anything for that woman."
2. Her backstory is heartbreaking.
When Simianer was first introduced on Cheer, she shared everything she'd been through up until her college career at Navarro. After her mother had died, she and her brother lived with her father — until he decided to move on and start a different family. At the time, Simianer and her brother tried to survive on their own, but times were tough, and they struggled even to feed themselves.
Eventually, her grandparents were able to step in, and Simianer went to live with them instead. At that point, they helped her get back into cheerleading, which improved her life immensely. In fact, in the documentary, she even reveals that she was suicidal at one point — and credits cheerleading for saving her life.
3. Who is Morgan Simianer? Her life is about more than cheer.
Just by looking at Simianer's Instagram, it's easy to see that she's passionate about cheering — of course, we knew that from the docu-series already, but she's also posted plenty of photos and videos of herself hard at work on her moves.
It seems like Simianer also loves to travel (check out this photo from her trip to Turkey last summer) and doing things that other college kids her age love to do, like hanging out with friends and hitting the beach.
4. She has a boyfriend.
Simianer appears to be in a pretty serious relationship with a guy who shows up pretty frequently on her Instagram feed. His name is Brad Markey, and according to his social media, he's a baseball player for the Louisville Bats, a minor league baseball team.
Judging by the photos they've shared, it seems like Markey and Simianer have been together for at least a year, if not longer.
5. She's opening up about what cheerleading means to her.
In a recent TV interview, Simianer shared her feelings about Cheer becoming so popular and the reaction to the show.
"There's a lot that goes into it, but this is a lot of the behind the scenes. You see how we're emotional and we're tired, and just everything," she said, talking about people who may not think cheerleaders work as hard as other athletes.
6. Fans have already fallen in love with her.
Those who have caught Cheer already are tweeting about their love for Simianer, and they're not holding back.
"I’ve been watching the first episodes of Cheer and Morgan is a beast. She has so much strength, so much confidence and yet it feels like she doesn’t like to be in the 'front,'" one fan tweeted, while another said that Simianer "is too pure for this world and has more grit than anyone."
Hopefully, fans will get to continue to follow along with Simianer on more episodes of Cheer (please, Netflix!) but in the meantime, it seems like she's willing to keep everyone updated on social media.
Nicole Pomarico is an entertainment and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in Cosmo, Us Weekly, Refinery29, and more.