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Serena Williams’ husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, was mistakenly referred to as her “umbrella holder” during the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The tennis champion, 42, and her tech investor husband, 41, attended the opening ceremony of the summer Olympics in Paris, France, on Friday, July 26. The couple, who have been married since 2017, walked the red carpet alongside their six-year-old daughter, Olympia.
As the famous family posed for photos on the red carpet, Ohanian was seen standing behind the tennis star – who was wearing a red ruched mid-length dress and carrying a matching red purse – with a blue umbrella to protect her from the rain.
However, a TV commentator for Eurosport accidentally called Ohanian his wife’s “umbrella holder” during a broadcast of the opening ceremony. “[Serena] looks absolutely incredible. She’s got someone just behind us holding an umbrella,” they said. “Those are the levels you aspire to, to have an actual umbrella holder behind you.”
The moment led to many viral reactions on X, formerly Twitter, as fans shared their amusement over Ohanian’s latest title.
“When you are Serena Williams’s husband you are her personal umbrella holder and you will like it,” one fan joked on the platform.
“That ‘umbrella holder’ is her HUSBAND and the co-founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohanian,” another user aptly pointed out.
“And you know he would happy to be called Serena Williams umbrella holder,” a third person said.
Indeed, the father of two seemed to appreciate his new job as his wife’s “umbrella holder,” as he took to Instagram to joke about the mix-up. Ohanian shared a photo of himself, Williams, and their daughter watching the Olympics opening ceremony from the stands. “Olympia. Serena. Serena’s Personal Umbrella Holder,” he wrote in the caption, along with a crying laughing face emoji. “Let the games begin! I’ll be watching a lot of T&F to soak up @athlos inspiration.”
Later in the evening, the 23-time Grand Slam champion played an important role during the opening ceremony. Williams joined the dozens of athletes in lighting the Olympic cauldron through a torch relay down the River Seine.
This isn’t the first time Ohanian has shown his appreciation for his wife, despite critics claiming he plays second fiddle to the iconic athlete. Back in 2022, rapper Drake referred to the entrepreneur as Williams’ “groupie” in the track “Middle of the Ocean,” off his collaborative album with 21 Savage, titled Her Loss.
“Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie / He claim we don’t got a problem but / No, boo, it is like you comin’ for sushi,” Drake raps on the song.
Ohanian was quick to respond to Drake in a thread posted to X, writing: “The reason I stay winning is because I’m relentless about being the absolute best at whatever I do – including being the best groupie for my wife and daughter.”
The Reddit co-founder added: “It’s cliche, but life changed when I became a husband + papa. It’s made me 100x better as a man and a businessman.
“In @serenawilliams I found a partner I knew I would never outgrow, who would always motivate me to be Greater.”
Williams and Ohanian were married in November 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. They welcomed their first daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, two months before their wedding. At the 2023 Met Gala, Williams revealed she was pregnant with their second child. The couple announced the arrival of their youngest daughter, Adira River Ohanian, in August 2023.
