*Stephen A. Smith of ESPN reportedly referred to Serena Williams‘ husband, Alexis Ohanian, as a “wimp” for allowing Williams to participate in the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show.
Smith’s comments were sparked by Williams’ appearance during Kendrick Lamar’s performance of his diss track, “Not Like Us,” which targets Drake. Williams was seen performing a Crypt Walk, which led to online speculation about whether the moment was deliberate, given her rumored past relationship with Drake in 2011.
Smith jokingly remarked that if he were married to Williams, he would consider divorce over her participation in the halftime show. “If I’m married and my wife is going to join trolling her ex, go back to his a**,” Smith said. “’Cause clearly you don’t belong with me. What you worried about him for and you’re with me? Bye!”
Following the performance, Serena Williams shared a lighthearted clip on X (formerly Twitter), showing herself backstage and joking, “Man, I did not crip walk like that at Wimbledon! Ooh, I would’ve been fined!” This was a nod to criticism she received for a similar dance after her victory over Maria Sharapova at the 2012 London Olympics.
Ohanian later addressed the backlash, noting on X that many people were unaware of how much Serena was criticized for the same dance at Wimbledon 13 years ago. He said, “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.”
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Social media users quickly responded, criticizing Smith’s remarks, including actress Whoopi Goldberg, who also called out the ESPN host. Smith defended himself on X, explaining, “Please go back and look at exactly what I said. I was talking overall from a man’s perspective — highlighting what most men would think.” He further clarified, “I didn’t utter a single disrespectful word about Serena. No issues with folks getting upset over literal serious stuff one’s pissed about. This doesn’t qualify peeps. Come on. We were joking around on @FirstTake. Damn y’all! It’s not that serious.”
Sources close to Williams have said she views Smith’s comments as disrespectful and an attempt to draw attention.
“She sees Stephen A. as a self-absorbed, chauvinistic loudmouth who was just trying to get a reaction,” an insider shared with 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.”
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Stephen A. Smith Has A Message to Serena Williams for Crip Walking in Surprise Super Bowl Appearance | WATCH
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