Stephen A. Smith on First Take speaking on Serena WilliamsStephen A. Smith (Photo via First Take on ESPN)
Serena Williams’ cameo during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl 2025 halftime had social media buzzing, and not everyone was feeling it.

The tennis superstar appeared during Lamar’s performance of “Not Like Us” as she showed off her best crip walk dance moves.

Her appearance during a Drake diss song is not unexpected since she is not only mentioned in the song but also dated Drake back in the day. Years later, he wouldn’t let it go, as he released the song “Too Good” about Williams, in which he repeats the lyric, “I’m too good to you.”

Williams is married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, which is something that has Stephen A. Smith upset about.

He took to his popular show this week and claimed that his wife would be a single woman if she went out and did what Serena Williams did at the Super Bowl.

“If I’m married and my wife is going to join trolling her ex, go back to his ass, ’cause clearly, you don’t belong with me,” Smith said Monday on ESPN’s “First Take.”

 

“What you worried about him for and you’re with me? Bye. Bye.”

“If you were with Serena Williams, you’re going to be a kept man anyways,” co-host Ryan Clark responded. “Don’t start that.”

Drake Has Previously Taken Shots At Serena Williams

All eyes were on Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance on Sunday that was not only filled with messages, but had a surprise cameo from Serena Williams, who left everyone talking with her crip-walking skills.

Lamar and Drake have had an ongoing public feud, but the tennis legend also had ties to the Canadian-born rapper.

Drake has spoken about Serena Williams in his music since 2013. In 2022, Drake escalated tensions when he shot at Williams’ husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

In the track ‘Middle Of The Ocean,’ he raps: “Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie / He claim we don’t got a problem but / No boo, it is like you coming for sushi.”

Ohanian fired back with a tweet, saying: “The reason I stay winning is because I’m relentless about being the absolute best at whatever I do — including being the best groupie for my wife [and] daughter.”

VIDEO: Serena Williams Breaks Her Silence After Crip Walking On Live TV During Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show

Photos of Serena Williams speaking and dancingSerena Williams (Photo via Serena Williams/X & FOX)
Serena Williams addressed her viral Super Bowl 59 moment in a short video following rife criticism online.

The tennis icon joined Kendrick Lamar on stage for his performance at the halftime show and shocked everyone by crip walking to his “Not Like Us” Drake diss track, which fans thought was a direct shot at the Canadian rapper, given that they were rumored to have dated in 2011.

https://twitter.com/espnW/status/1888769530110804368
Serena’s actions saw many people lash out at her via social media, with many pointing out that she had performed a dance created by the same California gang that murdered her older sister, Yetunde Price, back in 2003.

The 43-year-old took to X to address the cameo, joking that she would have been fined had she done it “like that” at Wimbledon.

“Man I did not crip walk like that at Wimbledon, I would’ve been fined,” she said in the video shown below.

Serena Williams Is Not Very Fond Of Drake

Serena Williams and Drake apparently did not break things off on good terms.

They never confirmed their relationship, but Drake did mention her in some of his songs, referring to her husband and father of her two children as a “groupie.”

Serena has never addressed the barbs publicly but seemed to take a shot at him during last year’s ESPYs, when she suggested that no one should ever pick a fight with Kendrick.