Serena Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, is mistakenly called her ‘umbrella holder’ in on-air flub at Olympics ceremony
Serena Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, was mistakenly called her “umbrella holder” as they walked the red carpet at the opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics with their eldest daughter Friday.
“[Williams] looks absolutely incredible. She’s got someone just behind us holding an umbrella,” British sports reporter Laura Woods noted, per a EuroSport clip on X shared Friday that is not visible in the US.
“Those are the levels you aspire to. To have an actual umbrella holder behind you.”
Although Williams is renowned in the world of tennis, her husband has an impressive resumé, too: He co-founded Reddit.
Ohanian, 41, sweetly protected her from the rain by following her with an umbrella, which caught the attention of a female commentator.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist, 42, looked radiant as she smiled along the carpet in a skin-hugging red dress with her 6-year-old daughter Olympia near her.
They welcomed Olympia in 2017 — about 11 weeks after their wedding — and her younger sister, Adira, in August 2023.
Unsurprisingly, social media lit up with stunned remarks after Woods mislabeled Ohanian.
“Can’t get over the commentator referring to Alexis Ohanian as Serena Williams’ personal umbrella holder; really don’t think she was kidding too 😂,” one user tweeted.
“What’s funny is the umbrella holder in Serena’s case is her husband, Alexis Ohanian. AMAZING. 😂,” another viewer said, laughing about the ordeal.
“Having an umbrella holder is the 97th reason to get married. 🤷🏾♀️,” a third user joked.
Woods, who was named the Broadcast Sports Presenter of the Year in 2024, has not publicly commented on the slip-up and did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Perhaps fans should go easy on her as she announced her first pregnancy with her husband, Adam Collard, earlier this week.
Ohanian, meanwhile, seemed to get a kick out of the situation as he joked about it on Instagram alongside a photo of him with his family at the opening event.
“Olympia. Serena. Serena’s Personal Umbrella Holder,” he comically captioned the snap.
He also retweeted a post about the snafu not long after it happened.
This wasn’t the first time Ohanian has been snubbed while being spotted alongside his world-renowned wife. Back in 2018, he exuded pride as a few fans of Williams’ stopped him on the streets of New York City.
“Usually I’m stopped on the street to get pitched a startup someone wants @initialized to invest in,” he wrote underneath an Instagram post that showed the thrilled fans.
“The last two weeks, they all just want me to pass along a message to my wife. Cant say I hate it.”
He also once referred to himself as “her husband” alongside a photo of him watching her in a tennis match.
“Y’all only see me out there in the stands holding it down for her, but she’s the GOAT off the court when it comes to holding it down for her husband. TRUST me,” the entrepreneur wrote.
