Stephen A. Smith found himself in an unusual position this week — on the receiving end of a clapback. The outspoken ESPN host was confronted live on First Take by Alexis Ohanian, husband of tennis legend Serena Williams, after previously making comments questioning Williams’ respect for their marriage.
The tense yet composed exchange took place on Thursday, October 9, when Ohanian — the Reddit co-founder and tech entrepreneur — appeared on First Take and addressed Smith’s past remarks.
Months earlier, Smith had criticized Serena’s appearance alongside Kendrick Lamar during his Super Bowl Halftime Show, suggesting the move was disrespectful to her husband due to her history with rapper Drake.
“If I’m married and my wife is going to join trolling her ex, go back to his a**,” Smith had said at the time. “’Cause clearly you don’t belong with me. What you worried about him for and you’re with me? Bye. Bye.”
On First Take, Ohanian wasted no time bringing up those comments — and did it with precision.
“Stephen A. Smith, I think you had some marriage advice for me,” he began, smiling.
Caught off guard, Smith tried to defuse the moment, replying,
“Listen, I didn’t. Headlines are headlines. We can get into that another time. … I am not qualified. Marital advice? No, not me.”
But Ohanian pressed on:
“Well, I was going to ask you, because you haven’t been married before, right? Because I give advice to plenty of founders who want to build billion-dollar companies, and the reason I do that is because I built billion-dollar companies. So, I generally try to stay in my lane in the advice department.”
The exchange quickly went viral, with fans praising Ohanian’s poised yet pointed response. Many noted how rare it is to see Smith, known for his confident and often fiery takes, left momentarily speechless.
Ohanian and Williams, who tied the knot in 2017, share two daughters — 8-year-old Alexis Olympia Jr. and 2-year-old Adira River. The couple is known for keeping their private life relatively low-profile, though Ohanian’s calm defense of his wife reminded viewers why he’s earned a reputation as one of the most supportive celebrity spouses in sports.
Following the encounter, Smith addressed the situation on The Stephen A. Smith Show, clarifying that he meant no disrespect to the tennis icon or her husband.
“I’m glad it didn’t escalate or anything like that,” Smith said. “I have absolutely no issue with him wanting to address it. That’s her husband, and I certainly meant no disrespect at all.”
While clips of the on-air moment appear to be missing from ESPN’s YouTube uploads, fans across social media continue to share Ohanian’s now-legendary response — a masterclass in keeping it classy while checking a critic.
