Alexis Ohanian, Reddit co-founder and husband of tennis star Serena Williams, has faced public backlash for attending Donald Trump’s mega UFC event on June 14.
People expressed their dissatisfaction over Ohanian’s attendance at a MAGA-heavy event, which saw UFC fighter Josh Hokit call former FLOTUS Michelle Obama a “man”.
Alexis Ohanian responds to backlash over attending the White House UFC event following controversy involving a Michelle Obama slur
Ohanian wrote on X, addressing the public anger, saying, “Lot of people asking me to comment: Yes, that fighter’s slur about former First Lady Michelle Obama was vile and inappropriate.”
According to Ok magazine, he said that he had attended the UFC fight on special invitation by TKO/IMG leadership because he owns “5 pro sports teams + a league” and was already on his way home when the comments were made. He further expressed that he “was glad to see Dana condemn them.”
He also pointed to his past actions against online hate and harassment as part of his response. “I resigned in protest from Reddit (the company I co-founded and built for over a decade) specifically to push it to curb communities for hate and violence on the site,” Ohanian added.
However, his history of advocating for gender and racial equality received mixed comments from the audience. One commentator wrote, “Great example for your daughters,” while another commented, “You shouldn’t have been there.”
A user tore into his theory and commented, “Why didn’t you stay at Reddit and fight while you were in a position to do something about it?” to which Ohanian replied, “Because resigning in protest actually got the change I wanted. Being 1 vote out of 5 didn’t.”
The UFC event has continued to receive adverse reactions from the public, including attacking seemingly neutral celebrities like Ohanian and comedian Nate Bargatze attending the event and posing with the Trump family for photos.
DO YOU THINK OHANIAN SHOULD HAVE SKIPPED THE EVENT?
