Restaurant Apologizes to Serena Williams After She’s Denied Entry
Serena Williams Accuses Paris Restaurant of DENYING Her Family Service
Serena Williams’ adventures in Paris continue to serve drama.
After the tennis star shared that she and her familyâincluding daughters Olympia Ohanian, 6, and Adira Ohanian, 12 months, whom she shares with husband Alexis Ohanianâhad been denied access to the Peninsula restaurant in Paris while in France for the 2024 Olympic Games, the establishment responded to her claims, explaining the reasoning behind the unfortunate incident.
“Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight,” the hotel replied on X Aug. 5. “Unfortunately, our rooftop bar was indeed fully booked and the only unoccupied tables you saw belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was fully reserved.”
They added, “We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again.”
The apology comes after Serena had called out the restaurant on X, claiming she and her family were not allowed to eat on their rooftop.
“Yikes @peninsulaparis I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in a empty restaurant of nicer places but never with my kids,” she wrote. “Always a first. #Olympic2024.”
The Peninsula Paris’ tweet about Serena’s experience echoes a similar statement the restaurant previously shared with E! News, saying the company has “the utmost admiration and respect” for the Olympian.
Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images for LVMH x Vogue x NBC
“We can only reiterate our deepest apologies for her perception of tonight’s situation,” the statement said, before noting that she and her family would be and have always been “more than welcome” at the establishment.
But Serena isn’t letting the restaurant faux pas put a damper on her time in the City of Love, especially as she got to take part in the Opening Ceremony on the Seine River alongside fellow Olympians Rafael Nadal, Carl Lewis and Nadia Comaneci.
The tennis legendâwho has won four Olympic gold medalsâhas been documenting her time in French capital on Instagram, while also making time to cheer on her fellow athletes.
“Walking in Paris,” the 42-year-old shared in an Aug. 4 Instagram post. “no one makes me feel the way you do.”
Even daughter Olympia took a moment to appreciate the city, sharing a photo with her younger sibling on Instagram Aug. 6 with the caption, “Sisters in Paris.”
Serena and her family aren’t the whole stars celebrating the competitors this year. Keep reading to see all the celebs who came out for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Tom Brady and Vivian Brady
The father-daughter duo vaulted onto the scene for a gymnastics match.
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Sharon Stone
The Basic Instinct actress looked on during the men’s singles final match in tennis.
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Eva Mendes & Ryan Gosling
The two made a rare public appearance at the Paris Olympics on day 9, attending a few events, including the Equestrian Dressage Individual Grand Prix Freestyle.
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Guy Fieri, Lori Fieri, John Travolta & Ella Bleu Travolta
Welcome to Olympic Flavortown: The Food Network star and his wife sat with the Grease actor and his daughter and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav at the men’s singles tennis gold medal match between Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.
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Devin Booker
The NBA star hit a stride while out in the City of Lights.
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Kendall Jenner
Th Kardashians star kept up with the athletic events while in Paris.
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Kylie Kelce, Aly Raisman & Jason Kelce
We’re flipping over the Kelces’ pic with the Olympic gymnast.
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Serena Williams & Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr.
The tennis star and her mini-me aced their appearance at the Women’s Gymnastics Team Final.
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Princess Anne
The royal made a regal appearance at Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.
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Spike Lee
At the Gymnastics Women’s Team Final, the director made sure he was fully in the game.
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Michael Phelps
The Olympian and his wife Nicole Johnson took their 6-month-old son Nico to the women’s gymnastics team final.
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Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban
The couple attended the gymnastics final with daughters Sunday and Faith.
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Natalie Portman
The Thor star had a marvelous time while watching the women’s gymnastics team final.
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Queen Latifah
The actress displayed a little U-N-I-T-Y when cheering in the stands.
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Ed Sheeran
Dive right in and follow the singer’s lead by taking in the best Olympic moments.
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Bill Gates & Paula Hurd
The Microsoft co-founder took his girlfriend to a match at Roland-Garros in Paris.
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Sarah Jessica Parker & Jennifer Hudson
“Look who I ran into in Paris !!” Jennifer captioned the pic. “Carrie and Louise reunited at last! Love is the thing, you know! #SATC.”
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Jessica Chastain
The Help star supported Team USA while watching the women’s gymnastics qualifying rounds.
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Emma Chamberlain & Peter McPoland
The influencer and singer looked close as they sat in the stands for women’s gymnastics.
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Colin Jost
The Saturday Night Live star covered Olympic Surfing for NBC as events take place in Tahiti.
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Shaun White & Nina Dobrev
The pair made sure to lock in while in the stands for the Gymnastics Qualifiers.
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Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Lena Waithe
These three made a wickedly good trio while at the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Qualification event.
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Lebron James
The NBA star was front and center on the court during day two of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Tom Cruise
The actor took pics with fans while watching the women’s gymnastics qualifiers.
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Lady Gaga
The singer praised Simone Biles on Instagram over her balance beam routine.
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Anna Wintour & Baz Luhrmann
The Vogue editor-in-chief and director sat together as they watched the women’s gymnastics qualifiers.
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Snoop Dogg
The rapper was all smiles at the women’s gymnastics qualifiers.
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Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Luna, Miles & Nick Jonas
The couple appeared with their two eldest kids at the gymnastics qualifiers, which they also watched with the Jonas Brothers singer.
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Tom Cruise
The actor cheered on Team USA at the 4x100m freestyle relay during day one of the swimming event.
Zac Efron
The actor had a front-row view to the parade along the Seine during the Opening Ceremony.Â
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