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Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian didn’t waste his opportunity to check out Stephen A. Smith during his appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” Thursday morning.
Williams was featured on Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show in February, and it sparked a debate on the sports talk show about why she was there. While Smith’s co-hosts emphasized the connection between Williams and Lamar given their roots in Compton, Shannon Sharpe focused on Lamar’s track with fellow artist Drake, who previously had a relationship with Williams.
It was this angle that prompted Smith to go after Ohanian, whose place he decided to take for the segment.
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Serena Williams, her husband Alexis Ohanian and their child pose for a photo while holding a replica jersey reading ‘Alexis 25’ during the Adobe Women’s FA Cup Final match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on May 18, 2025, in London. (Justin Setterfield/The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
“If I’m married and my wife wants to troll her ex, get back on her ass. Because you clearly don’t belong with me,” Smith said at the time. “Why are you worried about him and you’re with me? Goodbye. Goodbye.”
Well, before “First Take” went on hiatus on Thursday, Ohanian used the moment when they were talking about his marriage to Williams to check out Smith for his comments in a nuanced way.
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“Also, Stephen A. Smith, I think you had some marriage advice for me. Right?” » asked Ohanian.
“Oh, I’m not qualified. A martial council? Oh no, not me,” Smith replied.
Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian during a match between New York Golf Club and Los Angeles Golf Club at SoFi Center on March 17, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. (Megan Briggs/TGL/TGL via Getty Images)
Ohanian didn’t stop there.
“You’ve never been married before, have you?” he added. “Because I give advice to a lot 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 in the consulting department.”
Ohanian is best known as the co-founder of the social media site Reddit. He is also the founder of the Athlos professional athletics series, reserved for women.
Alexis Ohanian looks on during a Barclays Women’s Super League match between Chelsea FC and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on September 5, 2025, in London. (Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)
Williams and Ohanian married on November 16, 2017, two months after the birth of their daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian. In August 2023, Williams gave birth to their second daughter, Adira River Ohanian.
