ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith is no stranger to controversy, but his latest remarks about Serena Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, have ignited serious backlash. Smith, known for his bold takes on sports and culture, recently took an unexpected dig at Ohanian, calling him a “wimp” for supposedly “allowing” Serena to participate in the Super Bowl halftime show.
His comments quickly sparked outrage, with many accusing him of crossing the line into unnecessary personal criticism.
The controversy stems from Williams‘ appearance at Super Bowl LVIII, where she was seen dancing during Kendrick Lamar‘s performance of “Not Like Us.”
The track, widely known as a diss aimed at rapper Drake, caught attention because of Serena‘s past relationship with him. Williams, now 43, dated Drake from 2011 to 2015 before eventually marrying Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in 2017.
During his show First Take, Smith speculated about Williams‘ decision to dance during the performance, suggesting that she was intentionally “trolling” her ex-boyfriend. He then took things further by questioning Ohanian‘s response to the situation.
“If I’m your husband, I’m thinking, ‘Why are you up there trolling him-trolling your ex?'” Smith said.
“If I’m married, and my wife is going to troll her ex-go back to his a–. Because clearly, you don’t belong with me. What you worried about him for-and you with me? Bye-bye.”
While Smith later attempted to clarify that he was “just joking around”, his comments did not sit well with many viewers. Social media erupted in criticism, with fans calling out the misogynistic and unnecessary nature of his remarks.
A furious Serena
According to sources close to Serena Williams, she was not amused by Smith‘s comments and viewed them as attention-seeking and disrespectful.
“She sees Stephen A. as a self-absorbed, chauvinistic loudmouth who was just trying to get a reaction,” an insider told RadarOnline.com. “He’s already boasted he might run for president and wants to make news outside of sports.
“Stephen A. talks smack about athletes for a living, but actually casting aspersions on someone’s marriage definitely crossed a line-Serena and Alexis are glad people saw through his BS and he got his just deserts when people slammed him for the a– he is.”
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