ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith is not any stranger to controversy, however his newest remarks about Serena Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, have ignited severe backlash. Smith, recognized for his daring takes on sports activities and tradition, not too long ago took an sudden dig at Ohanian, calling him a “wimp” for supposedly “permitting” Serena to take part within the Tremendous Bowl halftime present.
His feedback shortly sparked outrage, with many accusing him of crossing the road into pointless private criticism.
The controversy stems from Williams‘ look at Tremendous Bowl LVIII, the place she was seen dancing throughout Kendrick Lamar‘s efficiency of “Not Like Us.”
The observe, extensively often known as a diss geared toward rapper Drake, caught consideration due to Serena‘s previous relationship with him. Williams, now 43, dated Drake from 2011 to 2015 earlier than ultimately marrying Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in 2017.
Throughout his present First Take, Smith speculated about Williams‘ determination to bop throughout the efficiency, suggesting that she was deliberately “trolling” her ex-boyfriend. He then took issues additional by questioning Ohanian‘s response to the scenario.
“If I am your husband, I am pondering, ‘Why are you up there trolling him-trolling your ex?'” Smith mentioned.
“If I am married, and my spouse goes to troll her ex-go again to his a–. As a result of clearly, you do not belong with me. What you apprehensive about him for-and you with me? Bye-bye.”
Whereas Smith later tried to make clear that he was “simply joking round”, his feedback didn’t sit properly with many viewers. Social media erupted in criticism, with followers calling out the misogynistic and pointless nature of his remarks.
A livid Serena
In keeping with sources near Serena Williams, she was not amused by Smith‘s feedback and seen them as attention-seeking and disrespectful.
“She sees Stephen A. as a self-absorbed, chauvinistic loudmouth who was simply making an attempt to get a response,” an insider informed RadarOnline.com. “He is already boasted he may run for president and needs to make information outdoors of sports activities.
“Stephen A. talks smack about athletes for a dwelling, however truly casting aspersions on somebody’s marriage positively crossed a line-Serena and Alexis are glad individuals noticed via his BS and he received his simply deserts when individuals slammed him for the a– he’s.”
