Alexis Ohanian Calls Out Stephen A. Smith Over Past Marriage Comments
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian publicly challenged Stephen A. Smith today on ESPN’s “First Take” regarding previous comments Smith made about Ohanian’s marriage to tennis legend Serena Williams.
The exchange occurred during a segment promoting Ohanian’s Athos track & field competition in New York, which began today. Ohanian referenced Smith’s February remarks, where he suggested Williams should reconcile with her former boyfriend, Drake, following her appearance during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show. “Also Stephen A. Smith I think you had some marriage advice for me, is that right?” Ohanian asked. Smith responded, “Well you know what, listen I did it… headlines are headlines, we can get into that another time… Oh, I am not qualified. Married? Oh no, not me?”
Ohanian then directly questioned Smith’s qualifications to offer relationship advice, stating, “You hadn’t been married before, right? ‘Cause I give advice to plenty of founders who want to build billion-dollar companies. And the reason I do that is because I build billion-dollar companies. So I generally try to stay in my lane with advice.” Williams herself addressed the Super Bowl performance in an interview with TIME, clarifying she was not intentionally shading Drake. This public back-and-forth highlights the increasing intersection of sports commentary and celebrity personal lives.
ESPN host MJ Acosta Ruiz, filling in for Molly Qerim, briefly interjected before a commercial break, noting her own 13 years of marriage. Smith’s initial comments stemmed from his interpretation of Williams joining Lamar onstage during a performance of “Not Like Us,” a song widely understood as a diss track aimed at Drake. Further discussion on the matter was deferred, with Smith stating it could be addressed at another time.
