Serena Williams Dated a Disgraced Hollywood Producer Before Marrying Alexis Ohanian
Serena Williams is happily married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. But before she met Ohanian, Williams dated a Hollywood producer whose since been accused of sexual misconduct.
Serena Williams dated filmmaker Brett Ratner in 2005
Long before she met and married Ohanian, Williams dated Brett Ratner. The filmmaker is known for his work on several blockbuster movies, including the Rush Hour series, X-Men: The Last Stand, Horrible Bosses, The Revenant, and. War Dogs.
In her 2005 ABC reality series, Williams talked about her relationship with Ratner. And she noted their relationship was tough to maintain because of their distance.
“Brett and I have been dating for a while,” Williams reveals in Episode 4. “But it’s kind of hard because we live so far apart.”
In the same episode, while she watches her sister Venus Williams play from the stands, Serena tells Brett that she’s considering breaking up with him. He repeatedly tries to kiss her, but she turns away.
When Serena goes to congratulate Venus on her win, Ratner is nowhere to be seen. “As usual, Brett just couldn’t stick around,” Serena says. “So I think I’m going to have to cut him loose.”
Brett Ratner was accused of sexual misconduct by several women, including Olivia Munn
In 2017, several women came forward to accuse Ratner of sexual misconduct, including The Predator star Olivia Munn. She had previously detailed her encounter with Ratner in a 2010 memoir, alleging he masturbated in front of her on a movie set in 2004.
Actor Natasha Henstridge also accused Ratner of harassment. She told The Los Angeles Times that he forced her to perform sexual acts on him when she was 19.
“He strong-armed me in a real way,” Henstridge said. “He physically forced himself on me. At some point, I gave in and he did his thing.”
Ratner denied any wrongdoing in a statement through his attorney. After the allegations against Ratner came to the surface, Warner Bros. cut ties with the filmmaker and announced they would not renew the multimillion-dollar deal the studio made with his production house, RatPac Entertainment.
Serena Williams met Alexis Ohanian in 2015
Williams met Ohanian in 2015 while she was in Rome for the French Open. The two hit it off and started dating. In 2016, the two got engaged. And a year later they welcomed a baby girl, and had a lavish wedding a few months later.
Williams and Ohanian are still going strong. And in a recent tweet — which he wrote in response to Drake referring to him as William’s “groupie” in the song “Middle of the Ocean” — Ohanian revealed how committed he remains to the tennis star.
“It’s cliche, but life changed when I became a husband + papa,” the Reddit founder wrote. “It’s made me 100x better as a man and a businessman. In @serenawilliams I found a partner I knew I would never outgrow, who would always motivate me to be Greater.”
“The reason I stay winning is because I’m relentless about being the absolute best at whatever I do — including being the best groupie for my wife & daughter,” he added.
