After Stephen A. Smith Said He’d Divorce Serena Williams Over That Viral Super Bowl Moment, Her Real-Life Husband, Alexis Ohanian, Hit Back In The Best Way

Serena Williams’s husband, Alexis Ohanian, is hitting back at criticism of her appearance in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show.

If you missed it, Serena made a super brief yet significant appearance toward the end of Kendrick’s performance. While he was rapping “Not Like Us,” his famous diss track at Drake, the cameras panned over to Serena, who was Crip Walking over the catchy beat.

Several fans online immediately pointed out that Serena’s Crip Walk felt hugely significant, given that she faced a heap of scrutiny for doing the same dance at Wimbledon in 2012.

If you didn’t know, the Crip Walk is a dance move that originated in Serena’s hometown, Compton, in the '70s. Serena performed the move in celebration after winning against fellow tennis player Maria Sharapova, though she was sadly criticized for it and accused of “glamorizing gang culture.” About a decade prior, her older sister was killed by a Southside Crips member.

At the same time, a ton of social media users suggested that Serena dancing to “Not Like Us” felt like a very pointed jab at Drake, given that they were romantically linked back in the day.

It’s important to note that Drake has mentioned Serena in his song lyrics more than once since they were rumored to be dating about a decade ago. In 2022, for example, he branded her husband a “groupie” on his song “Middle of the Ocean.”

Media personality Stephen A. Smith was among those calling Serena out for seemingly making a jab at Drake by dancing on stage with Kendrick, suggesting on ESPN’s chat show First Take that he’d divorce her over the move if he were her husband.

“If I’m married and my wife is going to join trolling her ex, go back to his ass, ’cause clearly you don’t belong with me,” he said. “What you worried about him for and you’re with me? Bye. Bye.”

Stephen’s comments sparked a divide online, and before long, Serena’s *actual* husband Alexis (aka her number one fan) entered the conversation.

If you didn't know, Alexis and Serena have been married since 2017. They share two daughters: Olympia and Adira.

Taking to X, Alexis described the Super Bowl halftime show as “pretty fantastic” before pointing out the importance of Serena’s Crip Walk.

Twitter: @alexisohanian

“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 the music,” the Reddit cofounder tweeted.

Later replying directly to a tweet from the New York Post about Stephen’s divisive comments, Alexis hilariously wrote, “I got you @stephenasmith,” alongside a link to his tweet about the significance of Serena’s dance.

Loads of fans have since praised Alexis’s response. One person wrote, “He does NOT play about his wife,” while another echoed, “I love the way you don’t play about Serena.”

“I came here knowing @alexisohanian would respond in the best way possible. Everyone should be lucky enough to have someone who has their back the way he has @serenawilliams,” one more tweet read.

I told you that Alexis is Serena’s number one fan! I love this unbothered response from him. LMK your thoughts in the comments below.

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• Alexis Ohanian Is Totally Cool Being Known As Serena Williams' Husband For The Rest Of His LifeAlex Gurley · April 21, 2021

• Drake Called Serena Williams' Husband Alexis Ohanian A "Groupie," And Alexis Himself RespondedNatasha Jokic · Nov. 5, 2022