Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who is married to Serena Williams, denounced comments Josh Hokit made regarding former first lady Michelle Obama following his victory over Derrick Lewis at the UFC Freedom 250 hosted on the White House South Lawn, and explained why he was at the event.
Ohanian issued a statement on X, formerly Twitter, to make it clear that he doesn’t approve of Hokit’s widely-criticized fight celebration and was personally invited by UFC’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings. “Lot of people asking me to comment: Yes, that fighter's slur about former First Lady Michelle Obama was vile and inappropriate,” he wrote. “I attended the UFC event via invitation from TKO/IMG leadership (I own 5 pro sports teams + a league). I was already on my way home when those comments were made and was glad to see Dana condemn them.”
He added that he previously resigned in protest from Reddit, where he served as an executive chairman for over a decade, to push the platform to “curb communities for hate and violence.”
After his fight with Derrick Lewis, which he won, Hokit spoke with UFC host Joe Rogan for a post-fight interview. “Shout out to Trump for having the balls to put on some shit like this,” said Hokit, who also used the opportunity to make a crude comment about Alex Pereira’s mother. “Lastly… Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?”
UFC president Dana White was among those to denounce the comments. “I understand that the Obamas are public figures but I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families,” said White in a statement shared with Time Magazine. “Everyone knows my position on free speech but I hate that kind of nonsense.” Comedian Shane Gillis, who also attended the event, told TMZ, “I don’t like that shit.”
