Right-wing commentator Jason Whitlock called Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian a “beta” after Ohanian shared a social media post standing up for his wife, tennis legend Serena Williams. Whitlock’s “beta” dig has become a common MAGA insult — and Ohanian had some choice words in response.
The tech entrepreneur took to X, formerly Twitter, earlier this week to address Williams’ surprise cameo in Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show, in which she did the crip walk during rapper Kendrick Lamar’s groundbreaking performance. Ohanian emphasized the gravity of the moment by pointing out that Williams had been harshly criticized for doing the same dance on the court at Wimbledon in 2012.
“Some of y’all have no idea how criticized Serena was for this same dance at Wimbledon 13 years ago and it shows…. This is bigger than the music,” he wrote on Monday.
The context of Williams’ recent Super Bowl moment and her journey as a world-famous tennis champion is important. The 23-time Grand Slam singles title holder, who is Black, has been on the receiving end of misogynoir — an ingrained hatred or prejudice specifically directed at Black women — throughout her career.
To emphasize his point, Ohanian shared a clip of the Super Bowl performance alongside a screenshot of an article in The Week that featured old remarks Whitlock had made about Williams doing the crip walk — a dance that originated in her hometown in Southern California — at Wimbledon in 2012.
“Her dance was the height of disrespect,” Whitlock said at the time, adding that the tennis legend “deserved to be criticized and she should’ve immediately apologized.”
Whitlock evidently wasn’t pleased that Ohanian shared his old remarks. He responded by calling the tech entrepreneur and investor a “beta” while also referencing Williams’ rumored past romance with rapper Drake. (In case you haven’t been following the biggest rap beef in music in recent years, Drake is the target of Lamar’s diss track, “Not Like Us,” which played at the halftime show as Williams danced onstage. Not to mention, Drake has publicly made a dig at Ohanian and his relationship with Williams before.)
“This is Serena’s husband, a true beta,” Whitlock wrote Tuesday on X in response to Ohanian. “He’s mad at me rather than the wife Crip walking and still thinking about Drake. Simp.”
Ohanian then slammed Whitlock with a mic-drop response, telling the BlazeTV host that his life “didn’t turn out the way you imagined.”
“You’re the embodiment of peaked in high school, spending decades chasing validation from strangers through Likes and Digital Hugs, only to find that no amount of external approval fills the void,” he wrote back. “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”
He added: “You’ll find that if you wake up every morning trying to be a little better, a little more curious, you won’t have time for irrational hating — you’ll be too busy winning.”
While Ohanian may have shut down Whitlock’s criticism, the so-called “beta” jab is nothing new. Many conservatives and MAGA fans have long been propping up various toxic stereotypes about masculinity, calling themselves alpha males and sharing their theories of what “real men” are supposedly like — narratives that were emphasized throughout President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Prior to his election, Trump called radio host Howard Stern a “beta male” in a rant on his Truth Social platform in October after Stern endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Why are so many men leveling “beta male” criticisms at other men?
The term “beta male” may have several different interpretations, definitions and certain colloquial implications. While it is widely used as an insult to insinuate that a man is weak, some interpret the “beta male” label to mean that a man is more emotionally intelligent.
Licensed therapist Tatiana Rivera Cruz described “beta males” as “men who lack dominance,” in an article published in Verywell Mind.
The label also could be rooted in jealousy or flawed ideas about romantic relationships.
“Some men criticize other men for several reasons,” Racine R. Henry, a licensed marriage and family therapist and certified clinical trauma professional, told HuffPost. “They either received similar criticisms in the past, they have jealousy towards the ‘beta males’ for being happy in their relationships, and/or they were taught that masculinity is tied to being dominant and aloof in romantic relationships.”
“What this says about them and the kind of partners they probably are is that they believe women don’t deserve certain expressions of love,” she added.
Henry also pointed to the criticism that Williams has specifically faced for years, including ridicule that her body is too masculine-looking.
“She is stronger, faster, more athletic and more talented than many of the men who freely criticize her, so in an attempt to defend themselves or balance the scales, they attack anything about her that they can,” she said. “I also believe these men lack emotional intelligence and can’t appreciate the value of having a loving, supportive partner who they also love openly and publicly.”
There’s nothing wrong with being your wife’s “biggest fan.”
“To suggest such a thing is absolutely absurd!” Henry said. “When a husband can show interest in and support of his wife’s dreams, aspirations and goals, it not only boosts her confidence and provides a helpful resource, it also shows that the husband is loving the entirety of who his wife is.”
Henry noted, however, that publicly supporting your partner can be a bad thing if that person does not like or want that kind of support. Some people “don’t like being the center of attention and want to keep all aspects of their relationship private.”
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And regarding the conversations surrounding Whitlock and Ohanian’s back-and-forth, it’s important to note that “compassion, empathy, confidence, and humility” are generally good examples of traits that make someone a good partner in a relationship, Henry said.
“Masculinity isn’t defined by how aloof or distant a man can seem,” she said, adding, “emotional expression is a strength.”