Husband Ohanian comes out in Serena Williams’ support after cotton controversy: ‘Breathtakingly stupid’

Alexis Ohanian has come out in support of her wife and tennis legend Serena Williams after her recent comment on cotton plant decorations has led to a social media controversy. Williams recently posted a video on Instagram where she questioned cotton plant decorations at a New York City hotel.

“How do we feel about cotton as decoration?” Williams asked before adding, “Personally, for me, it doesn’t feel great.”

NEW: Serena Williams speaks out against a cotton decoration at a New York City hotel, says it doesn’t make her “feel great.”

“Personally, for me, it doesn’t feel great,” she said on IG.

Ironically, in a 2021 video, Williams showed off her home, which features a sculpture of a… pic.twitter.com/biyF3jbdJA

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 27, 2025

Cotton has been associated with slavery and forced labour in America, as in the past, African Americans were forced into picking cotton by white landlords.

Husban Ohanian speaks in support of Serena Williams

Williams’ question received a lot of support on online portals, but a few also accused her of hypocrisy as they shared an image of a cotton-related sculpture from her residence.

The artwork called Monument for a Promise by artist Radcliffe Bailey features a donkey, a suitcase and a mound of cotton.

Williams’ husband and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who has a history of investing in female sports, has now come out in support of the tennis legend. He slammed the critics and the New York Post’s Page Six for questioning Williams.

“Folks entitled to have their opinions, but to use owning Radcliffe Bailey’s Monument for a Promise as some kind of a ‘gotchya’ is so breathtakingly stupid-there is some very obvious symbolism of the cotton in the artwork,” Ohanian wrote.

Plz send to the NYPost writer. We live in an age of infinite knowledge and yet…. sigh pic.twitter.com/HGIhtansTs

— Alexis Ohanian 🗽 (@alexisohanian) September 26, 2025

Ohanian also attached a screenshot of his conversation with an AI software, which explained the meaning of cotton in the Monument for a Promise artwork. It said that the cotton in the artwork was hinting towards remembering sadness and about believing in a brighter tomorrow.

This goes to show that the artwork at Serena’s residence has been carefully picked and while cotton is a part of it, it doesn’t symbolise slavery or forced labour. However, it’s difficult to say the same for cotton decorations in hotel hallways when the USA still faces the challenges of racism on a daily basis.