Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Serena Williams Speaks Out After Husband Epically Claps Back At Her Super Bowl Critics

Serena Williams, Alexis Ohanian, and Olympia Ohanian, Jr.; Serena Williams dancing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for W+P; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation

After the tennis legend faced a slew of hate online for performing during Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show, her husband, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, clapped back hard at her critics—and Williams just shared her appreciation.

People always find something to criticize about the Super Bowl Halftime Show, and this year was no different.

One difference this year was that the primary performer, Kendrick Lamar, wasn't the only target of criticism; so was pro tennis player Serena Williams.


Back in 2012, Williams crip walked in celebration after winning a match against Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon. Because the dance was originally popularized by the 1970s Los Angeles gang "The Crips," Williams was accused at the time of not celebrating her win, but "glamorizing gang culture."

It seems only fitting that she would choose to do the crip walk again during Kendrick Lamar's performance of "Not Like Us," which is all about dismissing social standards and prejudices.

But because the song has been recognized as a slam against Drake, and since Williams allegedly dated Drake around 2015, some people assumed that she was crip walking not in protest or celebration, but to get revenge against an old flame.

Previously, ESPN announcer Stephen A. Smith criticized Williams for not being over Drake:

"If I'm married and my wife is going to join trolling her ex, go back to his a**, 'cause clearly you don't belong with me. What you worried about him for and you're with me? Bye. Bye!"

Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of The View, came for Smith's comments, stating that not every action a woman performs is because of a man. "Not Like Us" clearly became a part of a larger political protest that Lamar was hosting, and Williams wanted to be a part of that, not a long-awaited diss to Drake.

Serena Williams' husband, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, broke the silence, pointing out how much criticism his wife faced for crip walking back at Wimbledon. This was her way of taking her power back, plain and simple.

"Some of y'all have no idea how criticized Serena was for this same dance at Wimbledon 13 years ago and it shows... This is bigger than music."

Jason Whitlock thought he could get in the last word by trying to cut down Ohanian's words.

"This is Serena's husband, a true beta. He's mad at me rather than the wife crip walking and still thinking about Drake. Simp."

But Ohanian quickly put a stop to that in a display that would make Redditors proud.

"I get it; you’re 57, and life didn’t turn out the way you imagined. That kind of disappointment must be exhausting."
"You’re the embodiment of peaked in high school, spending decades chasing validation from strangers through Likes and Digital Hugs, only to find that no amount of external approval fills the void. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone."
"Criticism only fuels your victim complex, reinforcing the comforting delusion that there's some grand conspiracy against you and your 'brave ideas;' when in reality, you've just got terrible takes. It’s a cycle: outrage, backlash, self-pity, repeat."
"This is a lonely road. There’s still time to rewrite the ending; start by working on yourself first. You'll find that if you wake up every morning trying to be a little better, a little more curious, you won't have time for irrational hating; you'll be too busy winning."

Viewers applauded Ohanian for his smart response.





But no one was more appreciative than Williams.

"That there my baby daddy and husband. Always got my back. I Love you."
"Gosh I’m so late to the game (I’ve been sick) & busy investing in billion dollar companies and running @WYNbeauty… def not dancing to be petty lol."
"I think I proved 23 times over (not counting 4 gold medals) that I simply don’t have time for petty. All love and respect always, nothing negative here."

Fans of Serena Williams applauded her, too, and encouraged her to keep dancing.





Maybe some women dance to prove an ex wrong and make him want her back, but that explanation would be entirely missing the point in William's case.

More from Entertainment/celebrities

Jeff Ross
Mike Coppola/Variety via Getty Images

Comedian Jeff Ross Shares Photos Of Puffed Up Lip After Allergic Reaction To Ice Cream

Insult comic Jeff Ross revealed he had a medical emergency after a show Saturday night that resulted in a trip to the ER. However, he assured fans the show must go on despite "looking like Mickey Rourke at the end of The Wrestler."

Ross recounted the ordeal on Instagram, showing his swollen lip taking over his face from eating burrata ice cream after his Take a Banana for the Ride show in Mill Valley, California, near San Francisco.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot of Jesse Watters on Fox News
Fox News

Jesse Watters Offers Mind-Numbing New Claim About Masculinity—And Is Instantly Dragged

Problematic Fox News MAGA pundit Jesse Watters has made another bizarre claim about masculinity.

Having already taken exception with eating ice cream, drinking milkshakes, and taking bubble baths, Watters is now targeting tech jobs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump with the Dodgers
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Trump Leaves Everyone Confused With Hilariously Bizarre Word Salad Tribute To The Dodgers

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after he welcomed the 2024 World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers to the White House on Monday with a bizarre, tangential, and rambling speech.

The team arrived at the White House on Monday morning, where Trump, in his remarks, praised two-way star Shohei Ohtani and infielder Mookie Betts. The Dodgers had defeated the New York Yankees in five games to clinch their second World Series title in five seasons.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Trump Roasted After Giving Clunky New Nickname To People Criticizing His Tariffs

President Donald Trump was criticized after he pushed back against critics of his tariffs, coming up with a new nickname for the "weak and stupid" people who oppose them.

The Trump administration’s newly imposed tariffs on imports from various countries have unsettled consumers, triggered a trade war, disrupted global markets, and sparked widespread fears of a potential recession in the U.S. and beyond.

Keep ReadingShow less

Childhood Experiences People Thought Were 'Normal' But Weren't At All

Content Warning: Child neglect, child abuse, narcissism, gaslighting, people-pleasing, and other traumatic childhood experiences

It's important for us to work on ourselves, to continue bettering ourselves throughout our limited time on this earth, and a key way of doing that is acknowledging what we do not know, and working on that.

Keep ReadingShow less