Serena Williams Breaks Silence on Super Bowl Drama With Ex Drake and Kendrick Lamar

Serena Williams has finally responded to the social media buzz around her Super Bowl appearance with rapper Kendrick Lamar. Many fans assumed she threw shade at her ex-boyfriend Drake during the performance of Not Like Us, a track known to take jabs at the Canadian rapper.

During the halftime show, Serena joined Kendrick on stage while he performed the diss track aimed at Drake. Since Serena and Drake had a brief relationship in 2014, people were quick to think she was supporting Kendrick in the ongoing feud. But Serena has now made it clear – there was no such intention.

In an interview for Time's 100 Most Influential People issue, published on April 15, Serena spoke honestly about the situation. “Absolutely not,” she said when asked if her appearance was meant to insult Drake. She admitted that while she was upset by such assumptions, she could also understand why people thought that way. “Obviously, I can see how someone would think that, but absolutely not,” she added. Serena also shared that she doesn't hold any negative feelings towards Drake. “We’ve known him for so many years,” she said, hinting that things ended on good terms between them.

But the Drake-Kendrick link wasn’t the only thing that got people talking. Serena was also criticised for doing the Crip Walk on stage – a dance move linked with gang culture. Some felt she was promoting gang affiliation.

When asked if she regretted the move, Serena replied thoughtfully, “I don’t know if I regret it or not.” She didn’t shy away from the controversy but handled it with grace.

One strong reaction came from Stephen A. Smith, who said on his First Take podcast that he would divorce his wife if she ever did something like that on a global platform. Serena, however, laughed at the comment and highlighted her husband's classy response. “But did you see my husband’s remark? It was so eloquent,” she smiled.

Serena has been happily married to entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian since 2017. Together, they share two daughters – Olympia, 7, and Adira, 18 months.