Alexis Ohanian made headlines this week because he took his wife Serena Williams on a whirlwind trip to Venice, all because she said she wanted Italian for dinner. They apparently spent one or two days in Venice, eating and drinking wine and enjoying themselves, all because Alexis decided to be spontaneous for his wife. They actually met in Rome, and he proposed in Rome, so Italy is very important to them. It’s very romantic, isn’t it?
Which brings me to the current conversation a lot of people are having about Alexis Ohanian and how to talk about him. Judging him solely from his participation in Serena’s various interviews, plus what we saw of him on Being Serena, he just comes across as a really good guy. He seems secure enough in himself to step back consistently and let her be “the star.” It’s not that he doesn’t have other stuff going on, but he seems quite happy to let Serena have the limelight and he’s fine with being supportive in the background. Very few men are like that, sadly. And it’s weird that we have to acknowledge it when a dude does NOT have a fragile ego.
Anyway, all of this has led to various articles and thinkpieces about how Alexis is “the perfect husband” or as Pajiba said recently, the best example of a “Trophy Husband.” What does Alexis think about all of that?
Alexis Ohanian gave the world husband goals for life when he whisked his wife, Serena Williams, away to Venice, Italy, because she wanted Italian food for dinner. But the Reddit cofounder doesn’t think he deserves any praise.
“I am far from the perfect partner,” Ohanian, 35, told Us Weekly at the Folgers pop-up event on Tuesday, July 24. “I think it’s really important, especially in a long-distance marriage . . . That you make the most out of the opportunities that you have.”
The entrepreneur acknowledged that he and the tennis legend, 36, have “means as a family” for spontaneous trips to Europe. But Ohanian thinks the smaller gestures matter more. “When I think of the most romantic things I’ve done for my wife, I actually think they’re the times when I was just there as a father to our baby, or as a husband,” the 1850 by Folgers ambassador revealed. “It doesn’t have to be the super extravagant trip to Rome or to Venice for Italy food. It just needs to be stepping up and being there, being a great partner.”
Ohanian would take a bullet for the 23-time Grand Slam champion and their 10-month-old daughter Alexis Olympia. “I really do understand Game of Thrones a lot better now, because I really instinctively get the idea that someone would do anything for their house,” he told Us. “I would do anything for my wife and child.”
Yeah, he’s great. It’s a different kind of aspiration, isn’t it? It’s not the aspiration of being wildly famous and having a wildly famous partner and hoping that it all works out. It’s almost like Serena dreamed up the perfect partner FOR HER and there he is: a nerdy tech guy who worships her and is not emasculated by her fame, her ability or her wealth.
They are always staring at me 😌 https://t.co/hdEjJAwamO pic.twitter.com/lsuHSwUDO5
— Olympia Ohanian (@OlympiaOhanian) July 24, 2018
Photos courtesy of Getty, social media.
He’s a rich husband. I’m sure most husbands would love to be able to do something romantic like that, but they just can’t afford to
did you read the article or
huh?
He said the same thing in the article… “The entrepreneur acknowledged that he and the tennis legend, 36, have “means as a family” for spontaneous trips to Europe. But Ohanian thinks the smaller gestures matter more.”
Sorry, no one is the perfect husband/wife/SO etc.
Especially not him. Y’all need to google the reddit (which he co founded, sold, and sits on the board for) and Russia involvement. No one wants to bring it up because Serena is magical, but it’s shady as hell.
There’s the Ellen Pao mess, the hateful subreddits that were only banned because of Conde Nast, and the hateful subreddits that are still there. Anyone involved with providing a space for The Red Pill is not an ally to women.
He is perfect for her, which is what matters. They are lovely, kind people, and I appreciate the realness of what he is saying: No vacation can make up for being an absentee partner; Being there for one another during the mundane is what makes or breaks a couple.
I agree. He genuinely seems to be the perfect person for her – and that’s what matters. On top of that – he seems like a genuinely nice dude who gets that being present and taking time to value time spent together is what really matters.
He’s human, so he’s not perfect.
He sounds pretty great to me and I wish them well. I am in total agreement about the day to day things being what matters more than the big gestures. I think this was nice though because Serena probably needed it after Wimbleton and he is in tune enough to know that.
Yeah, he’s lovely. His supportive post after Wimbledon and then the venice posts had me swooning a bit.
Lots of people are loaded and they are still jerks. Lol.
They seem so happy & their daughter is darling!
I really like both of them. I don’t get the “I’d do anything/ take a bullet” being a thing. Wouldn’t anyone and not just spouse/ child but parents, nieces and nephews/, aunts, godchildren?
No actually, a lot of people wouldn’t do that. Some people do horrible things like abuse and kill their own children and family. Not to be a Debbie downer on a nice post but I read a news story this morning that broke my heart about a mother who allowed her boyfriend to do things to her two year old daughter. People can be downright evil sometimes
I bet she gags at the thought that she could have ended up with Drake! LOL There is no perfect partner. Everyone has that one little thing that drives their partner mad. Ha! Now if I could get my hubs to clean more, he would be perfect!! That said, they seem very happy and made a beautiful child together.
No one or relationship is perfect. He seems to be a good guy. We are so used to seeing assholes being celebrated that we overdramatize the fact that he appears to be a nice guy who loves his wife and wants to make her happy. It’s so sad that there are so many damn thinkpieces about this because it should be more normal. Everyone should strive to have a nice partner. Flying to Italy isn’t normal but a partner making their partner happy should just be status quo. Sadly, seeing some of the crap my friends and my famil deal with, it isn’t.
My sister finally left her husband, because he was unbelievably self centered and would never help with their kids, even when she was in night school. My mother criticized her for divorcing, because “If he’s not drinking, or beating you, what do you have to complain about? Your generation is so unrealistic!” Sigh..there has to be a middle ground between a jerk, and a guy who whisks you to Venice!
He seems pretty normal, tbh, and that’s great. Better than the endless drama like some of these guys. (cough, Kanye, cough) The fact that he’s CEO of a company that doesn’t seem to really require a huge time commitment at this point probably helps, too.
He’s the perfect husband for Serena. He’s not my perfect husband, but then he doesn’t have to be.
Perfect? No one is. He does seem like a nice guy. They seem like a good match and caring toward one another.
He had a girlfriend of four years when he met Serena. Her name is Sabriya Stukes, a microbiology Ph.D. student at the time. He dumped her for Serena. She did make one passive-aggressive tweet when he got engaged. But other than that, no drama was made
during the split. I went on her twitter a few times. She’s very impressive. That showed me he had good taste and appreciated strong, smart women. Because Serena is definitely that.
I thought he worked a lot but can be mobile. Serena always had photos of him on the computer, it felt like.
I think society sets the bar so low for men that when they’re kind, people make them out to be Prince Charming. When they’re actually just…decent human beings. He seems like a lovely man and supportive husband.
I’ve said this before, but he definitely got a lot more street and mainstream/non-tech cred when he married Serena.
It’s funny how it legitimized him as a budding cultural icon (OUTSIDE of reddit).
I saw an interview with him, he’s definitely a grown-up nerd. As far as the trip, I personally don’t like grand gestures, they make me uncomfortable. But I’m a peasant so maybe I’m just not used to it.
Please, the baby photos today, from the Cambridge’s to the Carters and now the Ohanians, I just can’t, its all too much ! Cuteness overload! Look at the little Alexis! Goodness! Too cute
They seem like a happy couple with a happy family but that’s just what we’ve gathered from social media. She’s been in the spotlight since she was a child. I’m sure she’s careful about what she portrays and shares. Who knows what life is like for them privately? He does seem like a good husband and very well may be the perfect husband for Serena. However… he is no trophy husband, that just makes me laugh!! He is successful in his own right and he is not eye candy. He’s a pleasant looking enough dude with a pleasant demeanor.
He certainly seems perfect for her: someone who will support and encourage her and can let her be the star. I’m sure it’s not all sunshine and roses, but why dwell on that? He loves her, she loves him and they obviously love their super-cute daughter. I wish them much continued happiness and look forward to seeing Serena and Venus continue to kick bootie for as long as they want!
That baby is SO CUTE.
THAT BABY IS SO CUTE, I WANT TO NOM HER LITTLE FACE!!!!