Serena Williams reveals reason behind her surprise cameo in Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show
JUPITER, FLORIDA: Tennis legend Serena Williams recently revealed why she decided to appear in a surprise cameo in Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl 2025 halftime show in New Orleans on Sunday, February 9.
The 43-year-old tennis star pleasantly surprised everyone when she was briefly featured dancing to Lamar's 2024 hit, 'Not Like Us' - a diss track aimed at her ex-boyfriend Drake, according to Daily Mail.
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Serena Williams reveals reason behind her surprise Super Bowl cameo
Williams revealed that she was approached by Lamar due to the crip walk she performed after her win against Maria Sharapova at the 2012 Olympics, the outlet stated.
She added that she agreed to participate in the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and recreate the famous dance. She also said how the dance came to be as she shared the Super Bowl halftime behind-the-scenes footage on her Instagram.
Williams captioned the video, "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.'"
She further wrote in the caption, "I’m like Super Bowl? Are you serious? When in the world would I ever be able to dance at a superbowl? (Never) let’s do it! I knew my winning dance after the @olympics would pay off one day. End of story."
The video showed Serena practicing the dance in her trailer before getting ready to watch the show with her family. She was then joined by her husband Alexis Ohanian, and one of their two daughters.
The tennis legend watched the game from the stands and then returned backstage to change into her blue look. She was taken back to the sidelines, where she did a quick practice of the dance.
She also joked, "This is a bad time to have to pee."
The 43-year-old performed on the stage as a camera panned on her while Lamar rapped. Williams said as she went with her team backstage, "That was the best 10 seconds of my life! TEN SECONDS!"
Alexis Ohanian praises Serena Williams’ performance at Super Bowl
Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian complimented his wife Serena Williams after her surprise appearance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show on Sunday.
He took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, "Pretty fantastic halftime show."
After her cameo, Williams celebrated the moment on social media as she wrote alongside a clip of her posing for photos, "Let's go Super Bowl halftime. I died a little!"
She said, "Man, I did not Crip Walk like that at Wimbledon. I would be fined!"
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She had earlier commented on the ongoing drama between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. She joked at the 2024 ESPY Awards in July, per E! News, "If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that none of us, not a single one of us, not even me, should ever pick a fight with Kendrick Lamar."
She added, "He will make your hometown not like you. The next time Drake sits courtside at a Raptors game, they’re going to Forrest Gump him. Seats taken."
