EXCLUSIVE: Inside ESPN Gasbag Stephen A. Smith's War With Serena Williams — After U.S. Presidential Wannabe Host Branded her Husband Alexis Ohanian a 'Wimp'
Stephen A. Smith ruffled plenty of feathers with his uncalled for comments.
March 9 2025, Published 12:00 a.m. ET
ESPN star Stephen A. Smith tried to troll Serena Williams by calling her husband, Alexis Ohanian, a "wimp" for "allowing" the tennis GOAT to appear in the Super Bowl halftime show.
Williams, 43, did a "crip walk" – a dance inspired by 1980s gang members – while headliner Kendrick Lamar performed Not Like Us, his infamous diss track about fellow rapper Drake, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl performance sparked Smith's swipe at Ohanian.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion dated Drake off and on from 2011 to 2015 before marrying Reddit founder Ohanian, 41, in 2017.
On his First Take TV talk show, Smith, 57, a lifelong bachelor, dispensed unwanted marriage advice to the couple, saying: "If I'm your husband, I'm thinking, 'Why are you up there trolling him – trolling your ex?'
"If I'm married, and my wife is going to troll her ex – go back to his a--. Because clearly you don't belong with me. What you worried about him for – and you with me? Bye-bye."
Smith's comments on Williams and Ohanian drew major backlash online.
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After being blasted on social media, Smith later said he was just "joking around," but insiders say Williams was incensed by the digs.
A source said: "She sees Stephen A. as a self-absorbed, chauvinistic loudmouth who was just trying to get a reaction. 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."
