Mary Lou Retton was in the news for two main reasons: a serious health scare in 2023 and a DUI arrest in 2025. She was hospitalized with a rare, life- threatening pneumonia, later said she had lasting lung damage, and then in May 2025 she was arrested in West Virginia on a misdemeanor DUI charge; in June 2025 she said she took full responsibility and pleaded no contest, receiving a $100 fine.

Quick scoop

If you’re asking “what happened to Mary Lou Retton?” the short version is: she survived a very severe illness, but her recovery has reportedly been long and difficult, and more recently she faced legal trouble tied to a DUI arrest.

Health update

In October 2023, Retton’s family said she was in the ICU with a rare pneumonia and could not breathe on her own; her condition was described as life- threatening at the time.

By 2024, she said her lungs were scarred and that recovery would be lifelong, with daily oxygen still part of her routine.

Legal trouble

On May 17, 2025, she was stopped in West Virginia and charged with driving under the influence, and later in June she entered a no-contest plea and accepted responsibility.

News coverage at the time said she received a standard $100 fine for the non- aggravated first offense.

Bottom line

So the current picture is: she is a former Olympic icon who had a major health crisis, continues to deal with its effects, and then later had a DUI case that she publicly apologized for.