There’s more to Serena Williams’ weight loss story than meets the eye, and fans are in an uproar over what they have learned.
The former tennis pro recently revealed that her drastic slim-down after birthing two daughters, Olympia, 7, and Adira, 2, wasn’t solely the result of hours in the gym and transforming her eating habits.
Williams’ secret to dropping 31 pounds was aided with the use of GLP-1. The synthetic glucagon-like peptide-1 — GLP-1 — is made from a class of drugs that can include well-known brand names such as Ozempic, Wegovy and others.) She acquired the prescription that curbs hunger from the telehealth company Ro. “I had never taken shortcuts in my career and always worked really hard.
“I know what it takes to be the best. So it was very frustrating to do all the same things and never be able to change that number on the scale or the way my body looked,” the 23-time Grand Slam winner said.
She has since been named an ambassador for Ro. Social media users are outraged by the conflict of interest in her using and being paid to promote weight loss substances and more.
As pointed out by an X user, “It’s also important to mention that her husband is an investor in Ro, GLP-1 company she is promoting and sits on the company’s board. And he also sits on the board.” Alexis Ohanian has been a member of its board since 2018 and has been among its list of investors since 2017.
Another tweet read, “Becoming the face of a pharmaceutical weight loss company (her husband owns % of) is a horrible choice.”
Someone else remarked, “Anyway…. Is Serena’s husband taking the supplement? because lord know he should be the first consumer.”
So far, this is the best take i have heard on this issue. pic.twitter.com/C7quIfJhsZ
— Ibrahim Suleiman (@edomalo) August 24, 2025
It’s unclear if Ohanian has taken the substance, but the couple was just accused of looking heftier during a family vacation in July.
Elsewhere in the discourse, Williams faced accusations that she was perpetuating unsustainable weight loss and unrealistic messages about women’s bodies.
Similarly, “The Good Place” actress Jameela Jamila also took issue with Williams’ campaign. She harped on the fact that most people do not have the same medical access as the athlete should “devastating” side effects occur.
Jameela Jamil criticizes Serena Williams for promoting and being the face of GLP-1 weight loss drug.
The actress warns of serious health risks and points to Williams’ husband’s ties as an investor in the company. pic.twitter.com/d45wG36xFF
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 24, 2025
“Jameela is right to criticize this. This reeks of her husband’s influence on her decision to do this. Why the hell does a woman who played tennis after giving birth need to advertise [stuff] like this?” asked one critic on X.
Another said, “Valid to question if there are safety risks and a financial tie, Serena should be transparent before promoting a medical treatment.”
Williams nor Ohanian have addressed the public backlash.
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