Serena Williams recently addressed rumors surrounding her cameo in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show, clarifying that her performance had no petty motivations against rapper Drake, her ex-boyfriend.
Social media was abuzz with speculation when tennis icon Serena Williams made a surprise appearance during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show. Many wondered if it was aimed at sparking drama with her former flame, Drake. But Serena is setting the record straight.
The buzz began when Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, took to social media to defend her, highlighting the unfair criticism she faced over a dance move that echoed one she did at Wimbledon years ago. ‘Some of y’all have no idea how criticized Serena was for this same dance at Wimbledon 13 years ago and it shows…. This is bigger than the music,’ he posted.
Williams herself chimed in, emphasizing that her cameo was all in good spirit and not a jab at Drake. ‘That there my baby daddy and husband. Always got my back,’ she replied to Ohanian, dispelling any notions of ill will. She mentioned being too busy with her ventures to dance out of spite, and playfully noted, ‘I think I proved 23 times over (not counting 4 gold medals) that I simply don’t have time for petty.’
The cameo happened after Lamar and his team reached out to Williams, expressing admiration for her dance moves from the Olympics. ‘When @kendricklamar and team called and was like, “we’ve been trying to do something forever, what about this?” We loved your Crip walk at the Olympics after you won the gold medal,’ Williams shared on her Instagram, thrilled about the unexpected opportunity to dance at the Super Bowl.
Despite Williams’ clarification, Drake appeared to subtly react in his own way. The rapper, known for his use of social media as a platform for veiled shots, posted an image with Williams’ longtime agent Jill Smoller on his burner Instagram account. The photo, taken at Wimbledon in 2015, seemed like a cheeky nod, stirring more online chatter.
Though Williams hasn’t responded directly to Drake’s post, her fans and followers were quick to dismiss any connection. The online consensus was that the tennis star’s appearance at the Super Bowl was meant to be a celebration rather than an instigation.
Serena Williams’ Super Bowl cameo in Kendrick Lamar’s show is not what online theories suggest. With no room for pettiness in her busy life, what should have been a celebration of music and athletic achievement mistakenly blew into gossip territory. Williams remains focused on her ventures and cherishes collaboration, not conflict.
