Stephen A. Smith made controversial comments about Serena Williams following her surprise appearance dancing during Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show in February 2025. He disapproved of her performance, saying from a man's perspective that if his wife trolled her ex publicly like Serena seemed to do, he would consider divorcing her. Smith said, "If I'm married and my wife is going to troll her ex, go back to his ass because clearly you don't belong with me. What you worried about him for—and you with me?"—referring to a rumored ex, Drake, in this context. He later clarified that he did not intend to disrespect Serena personally but was speaking generally from a male viewpoint. This comment sparked backlash and drew defense from Serena's husband, Alexis Ohanian. Eight months later, on October 9, 2025, Ohanian confronted Smith on ESPN's First Take, jokingly asking if Smith had marriage advice for him. Smith responded that he was not qualified to give marital advice. Ohanian retorted by highlighting his own experience in building billion-dollar companies and implied Smith should "stay in his lane" regarding advice. The exchange highlighted the tension sparked by Smith's original remarks about Serena's Super Bowl performance and relationship dynamics.