Reddit Founder Alexis Ohanian has weighed in on the controversy round UFC heavyweight Josh Hokit, who insulted former First Girl Michelle Obama throughout a post-fight interview on the UFC card held on the South Garden of the White Home. In a publish on X, Ohanian mentioned the comment was “vile and inappropriate” and added that he had attended the occasion as a visitor of TKO/IMG management as a result of he owns “5 professional sports activities groups + a league.”
Reddit founder responds after UFC heavyweight insults Michelle Obama
Ohanian additionally mentioned he was already on his method dwelling when Hokit made the remark, a degree he appeared to lift as a result of his presence on the occasion had drawn scrutiny on-line. He added that he was “glad to see Dana condemn them,” referring to UFC CEO Dana White’s response after the clip unfold.
The unique incident occurred after Hokit gained his battle in opposition to Derrick Lewis on Sunday evening. Throughout his in-ring interview, Hokit first praised President Donald Trump, gave him a sequence, referred to as out Alex Pereira, after which mentioned, “Michelle Obama is a person” earlier than asking, “Am I proper, America?” which acquired a mixture of boos and indifference.
Dana White moved rapidly to distance the promotion from the comment. In a textual content message to Time, White mentioned he understood the Obamas are public figures however was “fully in opposition to saying nasty and false issues about folks’s households” and added, “Everybody is aware of my place on free speech however I hate that sort of nonsense.”
Ohanian tried to put his personal response in an extended private historical past, writing that he resigned from Reddit, the corporate he co-founded, in protest to push it to curb hate and violent communities on the platform. That a part of his assertion was clearly aimed toward critics who argued that silence, or attendance alone, made his place unclear.
Hokit has not issued a direct apology to Michelle Obama. As a substitute, he posted on Instagram the subsequent day that he was “not right here to be favored,” “not right here to be a job mannequin,” and would do “no matter it takes” to succeed, a message that didn’t stroll again the assertion.
The episode gained extra consideration as a result of it didn’t occur in a normal area setting, because it occurred at a White Home-hosted occasion celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.
The remark was not an remoted incident. In January, the UFC heavyweight drew criticism after a post-fight interview at UFC 324 by which he additionally focused WNBA star Brittney Griner with an analogous insult.
Alexis Ohanian is the Reddit founder and longtime tech entrepreneur who helped construct the social media firm into some of the influential platforms on the web earlier than later stepping away from its board in 2020. He’s additionally extensively recognized in sports activities and enterprise circles by his investments in ladies’s sports activities, and his profile attracts added public consideration as a result of he’s married to Serena Williams, some of the well-known athletes of her period.
