"When I first proposed, Serena Williams was like, 'that's not enough'"- Husband Alexis Ohanian on "frustrating" negotiation involving daughter Olympia
Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian recently disclosed their disagreement over daughter Olympia’s weekly allowance. The tech entrepreneur revealed that Williams played both sides following his initial proposition.
Williams and Ohanian began dating in 2015. The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Olympia, in September 2017, and got married two months later.
Olympia, now seven years old, created history when she became the youngest co-owner of pro sports team Angel City FC, aged two. In 2023, at the age of five, she added a historic second team to her portfolio with Los Angeles Golf Club. At the time, Alexis Ohanian also announced that their younger daughter, Adira (born 2023) would soon join her elder sister as a co-owner.
Needless to say, Serena Williams’ daughters have been learning from the best when it comes to dealing with finances. During a recent conversation on the Spolitics with Jemele Hill podcast, Williams’ husband made a surprising revelation about daughter Olympia’s weekly allowance.
"For Olympia, she gets $7 a week; she has her chores. Gotta feed…" he said.
Hill humorously cut him off by expressing her shock at the modest amount, to which Ohanian responded:
"You think she should get more or less?"
He recalled not getting more than $2 a week from his parents during his childhood.
"I probably got like $1-2 - I gotta ask my dad – for all my chores."
Alexis Ohanian also hilariously detailed how his negotiation played out with “lawyer” Serena Williams when he proposed the initial amount for their seven-year-old's allowance. He claimed that the tennis legend sided with their daughter.
"And then when I first proposed, Serena was like, ‘that’s not enough,’" he remembered.
"She’s playing both sides. Serena was her (Olympia’s) lawyer in the negotiation. I drew up a real contract. I mean it’s plain English, no like legalese," he jokingly added. "But I drew up a contract, we negotiated it; her mom was her counsel which was really frustrating but it’s okay."
"Audacity to ask for ice cream" – How Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian hilariously tricked daughter Olympia over breakfast demand
Serena Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, has been very vocal about how the couple establishes a healthy work-life balance.
Despite being occupied in their successful business ventures, the Reddit co-founder and the 23-time Grand Slam champion made it a point to be there for their daughters and create fond memories together.
Ohanian also often shows off his culinary skills by making breakfast pancakes for Olympia and Adira. Recently, though, Olympia seemed to crave ice cream for breakfast, according to the tech entrepreneur. Surprised by the seven-year-old’s “audacity,” he tricked her by crafting an ice cream-shaped pancake.
"I messed up the waffle cone but this is what @olympiaohanian got when she had the audacity to ask for ice cream for breakfast. #PapaPancakes," the caption read," Serena Williams’ husband joked.