Serena Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, has publicly confronted ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith over past remarks that questioned the tennis legend’s respect for their marriage.
During a recent appearance on ESPN’s First Take, Ohanian — the tech entrepreneur and Reddit co-founder — directly addressed Smith’s earlier criticism regarding Williams’ appearance with rapper Kendrick Lamar during the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Smith had previously suggested that Williams’ onstage moment might have been a subtle jab at her ex-boyfriend, rapper Drake, with whom she reportedly had a rocky breakup.
At the time, Smith said:
“If I’m married and my wife is going to join trolling her ex, go back to his a**. Clearly, you don’t belong with me. What are you worried about him for if you’re with me? Bye.”
On First Take, Ohanian took the opportunity to respond:
“Stephen A. Smith, I think you had some marriage advice for me,” he began, referencing the past remarks.
Smith tried to defuse the situation, replying:
“Listen, I didn’t. Headlines are headlines. We can get into that another time. I’m not qualified — marital advice? No, not me.”
But Ohanian didn’t let up, adding pointedly:
“Well, I was going to ask, because you haven’t been married before, right? I give advice to founders building billion-dollar companies because I’ve built billion-dollar companies. So, I generally try to stay in my lane when it comes to giving advice.”
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