"Got me rooting for the white man in Black History Month" - Fans react to Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian clapping back at Jason Whitlock

Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian’s clapback at Jason Whitlock set social media ablaze, with fans rallying behind him for defending his wife with both wit and precision. The Reddit co-founder's "mature clapback" was drawn due to Whitlock's criticism of the tennis legend's Super Bowl cameo performance.

On Sunday, February 9, Williams made a cameo during Kendrick Lamar's performance of his Grammy-winning record 'Not Like Us,' a diss track against Drake. She received compliments from multiple tennis superstars but was also at the end of criticism from many.

Stephen A. Smith claimed he would have divorced Williams due to her performance if they were together. He referred to reports about the tennis legend's romantic past with Drake. Jason Whitlock also criticized the 23-time Grand Slam champion for her crip walk cameo.

After Ohanian came out in defense of his wife, Whitlock called the Reddit co-founder a "true beta" and a "simp". This led to Ohanian writing a lengthy message on X for the American sports columnist, addressing what he described as a pattern of seeking online validation.

The 41-year-old entrepreneur suggested that Whitlock had spent years chasing approval through social media engagement. He further criticized Whitlock’s reaction to the backlash, stating that:

"Criticism only fuels your victim complex, reinforcing the comforting delusion that there’s some grand conspiracy against you."

Ohanian characterized Whitlock’s approach as a cycle of "outrage, backlash, self-pity, repeat" and advised him to focus on self-improvement.

Many praised his response with one fan writing:

"Got me rooting for the white man in Black History Month"

"This is the most mature clap back I've seen online in a long while," another fan wrote.

"Podcast bros can’t go toe to toe with Reddit bros," a third fan wrote.

Here are some more fan reactions praising Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian for defending the tennis legend.

"Alexis cooked, ate and left no crumbs," one fan wrote.

"A man. A real man. Serena definitely picked right," another fan wrote.

"Well…..DAMN. Now that’s a clapback. It was a simple cameo…..it wasn’t that serious 🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️" yet another fan wrote.

---

Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs also came to her defense when she faced criticism for her Super Bowl cameo

Serena Williams at the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show - Source: Getty

Sports TV personality Stephen A. Smith, in the immediate aftermath of Serena Williams' Super Bowl cameo, said during a conversation on Monday's episode of the "First Take" podcast:

"If I'm married and my wife is going to join trolling her ex, go back to his as*. 'Cause clearly you don't belong with me. What you worried about him for and you're with me? Bye. Bye.'

Taking to X, Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs wrote:

"Ah I’m pretty sure Serena doesn’t care much for what Stephen A thinks."

Her husband Alexis Ohanian had also defended her from Smith's criticism. Meanwhile, Williams was graced with several tennis stars praising her including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Townsend, Naomi Osaka, and her sister Venus Williams.