{"id":2472617,"date":"2026-06-23T20:12:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T20:12:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2472617"},"modified":"2026-06-23T20:12:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T20:12:50","slug":"alexis-ohanian-explains-why-he-attended-white-house-ufc-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/alexis-ohanian-explains-why-he-attended-white-house-ufc-event\/","title":{"rendered":"Alexis Ohanian Explains Why He Attended White House UFC Event"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/tag\/reddit\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Reddit;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Reddit&quot;}\">Reddit<\/a> co-founder <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/tag\/alexis-ohanian\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Alexis Ohanian;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Alexis Ohanian&quot;}\">Alexis Ohanian<\/a>, who is married to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/tag\/serena-williams\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Serena Williams;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Serena Williams&quot;}\">Serena Williams<\/a>, denounced comments <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/josh-hokit-meet-donald-trump-175043810.html\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Josh Hokit;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Josh Hokit&quot;}\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">Josh Hokit<\/a> made regarding former first lady <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/tag\/michelle-obama\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Michelle Obama;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Michelle Obama&quot;}\">Michelle Obama<\/a> following his victory over Derrick Lewis at the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/tag\/ufc\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:UFC Freedom 250;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;UFC Freedom 250&quot;}\">UFC Freedom 250<\/a> hosted on the White House South Lawn, and explained why he was at the event.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ohanian issued a statement on X, formerly Twitter, to make it clear that he doesn\u2019t approve of Hokit\u2019s widely-criticized fight celebration and was personally invited by UFC\u2019s parent company, TKO Group Holdings. \u201cLot of people asking me to comment: Yes, that fighter&#8217;s slur about former First Lady Michelle Obama was vile and inappropriate,\u201d he wrote. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">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 \u201ccurb communities for hate and violence.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Alexis Ohanian via X, formerly Twitter<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After his fight with Derrick Lewis, which he won, Hokit spoke with UFC host <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/tag\/joe-rogan\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Joe Rogan;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Joe Rogan&quot;}\">Joe Rogan<\/a> for a post-fight interview. \u201cShout out to Trump for having the balls to put on some s**t like this,\u201d said Hokit, who also used the opportunity to make a crude comment about Alex Pereira\u2019s mother. \u201cLastly\u2026 Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/shop?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=syndication&amp;utm_campaign=shop2025\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;COMPLEX SHOP&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><b>COMPLEX SHOP:<\/b> Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what&#8217;s next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">UFC president <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/dana-white-shane-gillis-didnt-164540299.html\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Dana White;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Dana White&quot;}\">Dana White<\/a> was among those to denounce the comments. \u201cI understand that the Obamas are public figures but I\u2019m completely against saying nasty and false things about people\u2019s families,\u201d said White in a statement shared with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/article\/2026\/06\/15\/ufc-fight-white-house-hokit-obama\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Time Magazine;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Time Magazine&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Time Magazine<\/a>. \u201cEveryone knows my position on free speech but I hate that kind of nonsense.\u201d Comedian Shane Gillis, who also attended the event, told <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/06\/15\/shane-gillis-slams-josh-hokit-for-calling-michelle-obama-a-man\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:TMZ;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;TMZ&quot;}\" class=\"link \">TMZ<\/a>, \u201cI don\u2019t like that shit.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">Related News<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"ct:story;elm:img;itc:0;\" class=\"stretched-box\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/dana-white-shane-gillis-didnt-164540299.html\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Three men are pictured: Dana White in a black polo, Shane Gillis in a suit, and Josh Hokit shirtless with tattoos, including a lion tattoo on his chest.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/puMhMTvqAuV0optIMdrstg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/complex_131\/89eede3995385196f269316558a1fdaa\"\/><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Dana White and Shane Gillis Voice Disapproval of Josh Hokit Calling Michelle Obama a Man<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"ct:story;elm:img;itc:0;\" class=\"stretched-box\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/alex-pereira-blasts-herb-dean-144936649.html\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Alex Pereira Claims Cyril Gane Fight Was Rigged Amid Sexual Assault Allegations\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/qX2tR1aqcy_.QPuQ9J_Auw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/complex_131\/815644e50150cec8a2501f8e8d005e4c\"\/><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Alex Pereira Blasts Herb Dean Over Alleged \u2018Illegal\u2019 Shots in Ciryl Gane Loss<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"ct:story;elm:img;itc:0;\" class=\"stretched-box\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/celebrity\/articles\/nate-bargatze-faces-backlash-over-202546999.html\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Nate Bargatze Under Fire for Attending UFC Freedom 250 Events\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/8fB0Fl6RtZGx_iconAdZXw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/complex_131\/79713263055d3d71bcc82b60cf34657e\"\/><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Nate Bargatze Faces Backlash After White House UFC Appearance<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\"><b>Related News<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><b><i><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/henry-ruggs-parole-denied-fatal-143736047.html\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Henry Ruggs Denied Parole in Fatal Las Vegas DUI Case;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Henry Ruggs Denied Parole in Fatal Las Vegas DUI Case&quot;}\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">Henry Ruggs Denied Parole in Fatal Las Vegas DUI Case<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><b><i><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/fifa-world-cup-2026-fanatics-211115986.html\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:FIFA World Cup 2026: Fanatics Sportsbook Projects Americans Will Bet More on USMNT Games;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;FIFA World Cup 2026&quot;}\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">FIFA World Cup 2026: Fanatics Sportsbook Projects Americans Will Bet More on USMNT Games<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/shop?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=syndication&amp;utm_campaign=shop2025\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;COMPLEX SHOP&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><b>COMPLEX SHOP:<\/b> Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what&#8217;s next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/newsletters?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_cta5\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Making Culture Pop. Find the latest entertainment news and the best in music, pop culture, sneakers, style and original shows.;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Making Culture Pop. Find the latest entertainment news and the best in music, pop culture, sneakers, style and original shows.&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><b>Making Culture Pop.<\/b> Find the latest entertainment news and the best in music, pop culture, sneakers, style and original shows.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2472618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[387859,360097,486561,486562,27653,354384,309513,350923,482375],"class_list":["post-2472617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-alexis-ohanian","tag-dana-white","tag-derrick-lewis","tag-josh-hokit","tag-michelle-obama","tag-serena-williams","tag-twitter","tag-ufc","tag-white-house-south-lawn"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Alexis-Ohanian-Explains-Why-He-Attended-White-House-UFC-Event.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2472617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2472617"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2472617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2472619,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2472617\/revisions\/2472619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2472618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2472617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2472617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2472617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}