Serena Williams clarifies Super Bowl appearance was “absolutely not” a dig at Drake

Serena Williams has commented on her appearance during the Super Bowl Halftime show earlier this year and why it wasn’t a jab at Drake.

• READ MORE: Ranking the 10 best Super Bowl halftime shows in history

In February, Kendrick Lamar made history by becoming the first solo rapper to headline the coveted Halftime Show. Shortly after, it was reported that Lamar’s slot went on to pull 133.5million live viewers, as well as over 119million views on YouTube – making it the most-watched Super Bowl performance in history.

Towards the end of the performance, Lamar staged one of the biggest moments from the set, playing his Drake diss track ‘Not Like Us’. Williams appeared during the track, where she crip-walked to the song. It came as a reference to her 2012 gold win at the London Olympics, where she did the same dance in celebration of coming in first place.

At the time, social media saw Williams’ appearance as a dig at Drake, who she was rumoured to have a relationship with years ago. Williams is also notably name-dropped in Kendrick’s ‘Not Like Us’, as he seemingly warns Drake not to mention her name anymore.

“Better not speak on Serena” @serenawilliams makes a cameo at the #SuperBowl halftime show pic.twitter.com/KBjyPMeom9

— billboard (@billboard) February 10, 2025

Now, Williams has opened up about her spot on the performance, clearing the air. Speaking to TIME Magazine in an interview published yesterday (April 16), the legendary tennis player revealed that she and Kendrick had been “trying to do something together for ages” and the Super Bowl was simply them getting the chance to work together.

Serena Williams went on to tell TIME that she wasn’t throwing shade at Drake with her cameo: “Absolutely not. I would never do that. And that was sad, that anyone would ever think that. I respect how they could. Obviously I can see how someone would think that. But absolutely not. I have never had negative feelings towards him. We’ve known him for so many years.”

She also spoke on the fallout of the performance, which drew over 125 complaints to the FCC – some of which were targetted at the tennis icon, who some claimed was promoting “gang affiliation” with her dance. When asked by TIME if she regrets her decision to join the performance, she replied: “I don’t know if I regret it or not. I don’t know the answer to that.”

Shortly after Kendrick Lamar’s viral Super Bowl performance, he and SZA – who also joined him for a song at the showcase – announced a joint ‘Grand National’ North American stadium tour, which will kick off at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on April 19. Visit here to purchase tickets. They also announced a UK and European run set to take place later this year. 

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