Serena Williams’ recent hotel stay is sparking an uncomfortable reaction for her and firestorm online. Let’s get into it!

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 24: Serena Williams attends the NikeSKIMS Launch Event at Nike House of Innovation on September 24, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for SKIMS)

Serena Williams is causing quite the stir online, but it’s not because of some tennis feat or recent weight loss pics, In fact, it’s for something she recently saw while spending some time in New York, but the reactions to what she shared are…interesting.

As you may know, Williams has been all over lately, posting up in Milan and all over in fly fashions in cool appearances. Her latest travels took her to NYC where she was there in part to support Kim Kardashian and latest SKIMS launch. While there, however, the tennis champion had an unfortunate encounter at a area hotel that left her feeling uncomfortable.
Serena Williams blasts Paris hotel after being denied access to eat at 'empty restaurant'
In particular, in a since-expired post to her Instagram stories on Thursday, Williams posted a video of a cotton plant decoration that was there in the hotel and posed a question to her fans and followers afterwards.

“Alright everyone, how do we feel about cotton as decoration? Personally for me, it doesn’t feel great,” she said before later picking one of the cotton balls off the stalk.

She later went on to express how it felt like cotton balls used for nail polish remover before eventually visibly shuddering and walking away from the decoration. While she didn’t come out and explicitly explain the reason for her discomfort, we all could infer that it’s tied to Black folks’ complicated history with the plant and slavery in the United States.

And while she may have been somewhat perturbed at seeing that, others online were more annoyed by her reaction than anything. For some people they took jabs at Williams’ white husband, Alexis Ohanion.

“She’s upset about the cotton plant but her husband is white, wrote one user on Instagram.

“Sooooo….does she wake up in the middle of the night, look over at her husband and ask,,,what is this descendent of oppressors doing in my bed?” questioned another.

“Married a wyte [sic] man but draws the line at cotton decoration? You ain’t that mad boo,” one other user noted.

Others found it ironic that she would call out the decor while sporting a blonde wig and wearing cotton clothes, further alluding to the fact that there’s a double standard.

“You wear cotton but are against the plant it comes from cuz we had to pick it,” another user noted.

Added someone else: “With a whyte [sic] husband, in a blonde wig then proceeds to pick it up.”

Over on X/Twitter, some trolls had a field day with her video with another user, writing: “Serena Williams getting offended by a cotton plant decoration in her hotel room is a new form of victimization.”

One user penned: “Serena Williams gets triggered by a cotton plant at her luxury hotel. These people are so fu#%ing insufferable and performative. Acting triggered with a $250m net worth and a long blonde wig is wild. You crip-walked at the Super Bowl and your sister was killed by crips .Sit down.”

However, there were a handful who could see Williams’ point of view.

“T have been complaining about these damn cotton clusters and even them stupid chains that people put on their tables forever. That is slave decorations subtly presented as home decor. I refuse to put that mess in my home,” said one person on Instagram.

Added another: “This isn’t about wigs or who she’s married to. This is offensive and definitely a subliminal message.”

Does Williams have a point or is this much ado about nothing?