Serena and Venus Williams Unleash Their New Podcast on X: A Platform for Uninhibited Expression
Serena Williams shed new light on the forthcoming podcast she's co-hosting with her sister Venus, which is set to debut in August on X. The announcement was made during a panel at Stagwell's Sport Beach during Cannes Lions, where Williams discussed the personal motivations behind the show and previewed its tone and topics.
"When Venus and I were playing tennis, social media was different," she told Linda Yaccarino, the chief executive of X. "People didn't get to know us-now we have the opportunity to do that."
The podcast will be more open and cover topics like Black maternal health, women's sports, business, and motherhood. As a longtime investor and founder of a venture firm, Williams said the show will spotlight female entrepreneurs and disruptors in sports and culture. She cited Jeanie Buss' $10 billion sale of the Los Angeles Lakers as a perfect example of a subject matter that she would like to have explored on the show.
Williams also stressed that the show would center its conversations on positivity, partly in response to criticism she faced during her career. "When you're a female entrepreneur, you work harder because you get fewer opportunities and so many no's," she said. "I feel like my whole life I've been going against the grain."
The show will premiere on X before expanding to other audio platforms and will feature interviews with "visionaries, creators, and rulebreakers," according to an earlier press release. Produced by Serena's Nine Two Six Productions, the podcast joins a growing slate of original content on the platform, including shows from Khloé Kardashian and live WNBA games.
Notably, the launch marks the second time in recent months that a member of Serena's household has struck a distribution deal with X. Her husband, Alexis Ohanian, co-produced The Offseason, a docuseries on NWSL players, which premiered on X after traditional streamers passed due to creative control concerns. Ohanian chose X as the distribution partner for The Offseason due to its massive scale, reaching roughly 600 million monthly users, and its ability to offer content for free.
While X has had some missteps in this regard before, such as a content deal falling apart with former CNN anchor Don Lemon, Williams sees it as a platform for uninhibited expression. "It's a place where you can be real and get feedback on your thoughts," she told Yaccarino. With more than 10 million followers on X, Williams is excited to use the platform to share her thoughts and experiences with her audience.
