Naomi Osaka's epic CLAP BACK at ‘Black Party’ Critics Has the Internet CHEERING

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:01]Hey everyone. I hope you're well. So, thank you so much for joining me on this episode and I hope you all are having a wonderful time. Now, today, let me take a break from Harry and Meghan and talk about something that is close to what Meghan has actually received and this is uh Naomi Osaka's experience.

[00:00:22]So, last week, Naomi Osaka, who's a very famous, very smart, and very talented tennis player, did something genuinely special and it made the racists very angry. But, Naomi Osaka wasn't apologetic about it and now the internet is backing her. So, ahead of the French Open, she co-hosted a dinner at Soho House Paris for black tennis players, including Coco Gauff, Gaël Monfils, Taylor Townsend, Asia Muhammad, and others. It was an evening centered on community, joy, and visibility in a sport that has not always embraced players who look like them. Then, Naomi shared her thoughts about the night online and then suddenly the internet completely lost it. So, this is what Naomi shared uh on the caption saying that, "Growing up, there weren't a lot of tennis players I could look up to that look like me. Being a minority in a sport like tennis is very isolating, but the positive is that you keep tabs on everyone that being blunt is black.

[00:01:33]There's a fellowship, a camaraderie that doesn't need words to describe. You just feel at peace knowing that there's another person who has experienced uh who has experienced similar things to you and you feel less alone. There's a saying, "When you win, I feel like I win, too." And while that's true, I also feel like seeing any of us exist in this space that is so clearly not for us, is a win in itself.

[00:02:03]Our presence is a present, and I'm so grateful for the gift of my peers. I want to try to thank them for existing and thank them for inspiring. I'm so proud and appreciate everyone who came to the dinner, also the ones who couldn't make it as well. That was such a beautiful message.

[00:02:24]And honestly, there should not have been anything controversial about it. A woman was simply speaking honestly about what it means to be a minority in a sport that has historically excluded women who look like her. At the same time, she was celebrating the progress black tennis players have made and creating a space filled with warmth, joy, and connection.

[00:02:48]That should have been applauded, not attacked. Instead, the backlash was immediate and ugly. In fact, let me just read you one post that actually went viral that I found to be so so vile. So, this came from someone who said, "Half black, half Japanese tennis player, Naomi Osaka, held a dinner party exclusively for black tennis players before the French Open. She defended the party by claiming there's been at there have been segregated white-only parties without proof, of course. This woman is insufferable." Now, that is vile, honestly.

[00:03:28]Naomi did nothing wrong, and to be honest, there have been white parties before, in fact, so many of them. And this is just one example of these white parties. But then, you never hear these people getting angry over the white parties, but get angry when a black woman celebrates other black people.

[00:03:48]Like, make it make sense.

[00:03:52]Then, Naomi later responded to the criticism in a follow-up post on Threads, choosing to address the backlash head-on.

[00:04:02]So, she wrote, and I quote, "You know what I'm seeing is a little bit of, why can't you love everyone for all skin tones? And what if someone had an all-white party? First of all, I do love everyone for who they are, no matter their race plus ethnicity. I'm literally half Japanese, lol. I can only speak from my experiences in my own life, though. Growing up as a tennis player, I didn't see many people that look like me, and I feel like it's important to celebrate them. Secondly, I feel like it's important to note that there have been all-white dinners truck parties. I don't know how else to tell you this. I literally see I literally see them all the time and never had an issue with it all. To the people who ask this question, I want to ask you this question, too.

[00:04:56]What is it about people of color getting together that unsettles you so much? I grew up watching my dad get discriminated against, having the cops called on him multiple times at the tennis court. There are multiple things I will apologize for in my life, but celebrating black people and appreciating who we are will never be something I would consider saying sorry for. Actually, I lied. I am sorry. I am sorry for the people who cannot comprehend in their brains that this is not about exclusion. This is a celebration about how far we have come.

[00:05:36]Wow, that was mic drop. That was the best response that Naomi Osaka actually gave to these people, because why are you so angry? This is her experience, and she has every right to say what she feels and celebrate it however way that she feels like doing it.

[00:05:54]So, some people getting triggered over what Naomi Osaka actually did just sends uh some jealousy vibes because they don't want to see black people winning.

[00:06:04]They don't like uh to see black people gathering together and just celebrating their wins. And honestly, what Naomi did was thoughtful and uplifting. It was never about excluding anyone. She simply wanted to celebrate and support other black tennis players, and there is nothing wrong with that. People from every background naturally gather in spaces where they feel understood and connected. Yet, somehow when black people do it openly, it suddenly becomes controversial.

[00:06:36]Tennis has a long history of making uh black players feel unwelcome, from the abuse directed at Williams sisters to constant stereotypes uh stereotypes about who belongs in this sport. Naomi herself has spoken about the challenges her family faced, including her father literally having the police called on him at the tennis courts. Like, how heartbreaking is that? And against that backdrop, a gathering centered on joy, support, and shared experience should be seen for what it is, community.

[00:07:12]And this is not unique to tennis because black network uh network groups, conferences, and communities even exist across industries like tech, medicine, law, and media because being underrepresented can be isolating.

[00:07:27]Creating spaces where people feel seen, understood, and encouraged is not discrimination. It is solidarity, and Naomi made it clear that she had nothing to apologize for, and she was right. Her response was calm, honest, and direct.

[00:07:44]And the real question is, why moments of connection among people of color make some people so uncomfortable in the first place?

[00:07:54]But despite there being a lot of criticism, especially from the people who are so triggered, we also had some people, well, many people defending Naomi Osaka and even saying she had nothing to apologize for. And also, this post actually went viral. For example, one person said, "Naomi should not have defended having her own dinner party for whomever she wanted to. White people have dinner parties all the damn time without any black people present."

[00:08:26]Exactly. And you can see that this party I had shown you earlier had all white people.

[00:08:33]But you never see anyone criticizing that, do you? And then someone else also said, "White people don't want black people in their spaces, but get mad when we create our own. You all are insufferable." Yeah, you The people complaining are just insufferable. And then another one, "She has such a polite way of telling people to kick her black Grand Slam winning ass." Yeah, her response was actually just mic drop.

[00:09:04]And all of those comments, including so many others, went viral. So, honestly, what Naomi Osaka did was a very good gesture. She did something very good.

[00:09:16]And the people crying about it, obviously, are just very, very jealous.

[00:09:20]And they should be ashamed of themselves. But I'm glad that Naomi gave them the reply that they so longed for.

[00:09:28]Anyway, that is it from me today, but I'd love to hear what you have to say on this. Then I'll see you on the next one.

[00:09:34]Bye.