Serena Williams made a grand appearance on the red carpet of the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympic Games. She was accompanied by her husband and co-founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohanian and daughter Olympia, 6. While everything was going as planned at the start, a slight mix-up by a commentator left viewers in splits.
Eurosport commentator Laura Woods didn’t recognise Ohanian and he mistook him for an “umbrella holder”. Oh, how bougie!
As Ohanian was seen holding an umbrella to protect Williams from the rain, the commentator referred to him as Williams’ personal “umbrella holder.”
Woods commented, “She [Serena] looks absolutely incredible. She’s got someone just behind us holding an umbrella. Those are the levels you aspire to. To have an actual umbrella holder behind you.”
The mix-up instantly went viral on social media. Ohanian also joined in and reposted a comment from the Tennis Letter on X (formerly Twitter) that read, “TV commentator: ‘Serena Williams even has her own personal umbrella holder.’ FYI… the ‘umbrella holder’ is Alexis Ohanian, her husband. He’s one of the founders of Reddit.”
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Williams herself had a prominent role in the ceremony. Alongside Rafael Nadal, Carl Lewis, and Nadia Comăneci, she was one of the final torchbearers tasked with carrying the Olympic flame to the cauldron by the Louvre.
Their journey began at the Trocadero, and despite the pouring rain, they travelled down the Seine River on a speedboat. Upon arrival, French tennis player Amélie Mauresmo passed the torch to basketball star Tony Parker, who continued the relay with several former Olympians, including 100-year-old Charles Coste, France’s oldest living Olympic champion.
The torch relay concluded with French judoka Teddy Riner and sprinter Marie-José Pérec lighting a hot-air balloon-inspired cauldron in the Jardin des Tuileries, officially marking the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics.