Serena Williams reveals real reason for her controversial Super Bowl cameo

Serena Williams is no stranger to having all eyes on her; however, performing in the Super Bowl Halftime Show was something she never expected to achieve.

The tennis legend appeared in Kendrick Lamar’s incredible show on Sunday for a brief stint on stage, where she performed the crip walk – a throwback to when did the same move after her 2012 Olympic win against Maria Sharapova, causing controversy at the time.

Serena shared a behind-the-scenes look at her iconic cameo via Instagram, bringing fans along on her journey to the big stage.

“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 captioned the video. 

“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,” she finished. 

The video followed the mom of two as she got glammed up for the show and donned her blue and white ensemble, then prepared for her big moment with a little practice on the sidelines. 

She then performed the iconic dance move for the world to see, before running off the stage in delight. “That was the best ten seconds of my life! Ten seconds!” she said to her team once she was backstage.

Serena received racist backlash in 2012 after performing the crip walk at the Olympics, due to its association with her hometown, Compton.

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The dance was created in Compton, where Kendrick was also born and raised. “I didn’t crip walk like that at Wimbledon — I would have been fined!” she quipped after the show. 

The 43-year-old’s husband, Alexis Ohanian, jumped to the comments to share how proud he was of his wife. “Let ’em know. Like Kendrick said, ‘this is bigger than music.’ Folks either UNDERSTOOD that Half-Time show — or REALLY didn’t,” he wrote. 

“But then again, very, very, very few people carry the torch you do for so many people. Can’t expect some of these jokers to be on that level if they’ve never breathed air that thin.” 

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The significance of Serena’s appearance was twofold, as the athlete dated the infamous rapper Drake between 2011 and 2015. 

Kendrick’s beef with Drake is legendary at this point; after bubbling away for years, their feud reached breaking point when the Super Bowl headliner released the diss track “Not Like Us” in May 2024. 

The song features lyrics accusing Drake of nefarious activities, with lines like: “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young,” and “Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles,” as well as, “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor.”

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While Drake and Serena never confirmed their on-and-off romance, he was seen at her tennis matches and since their breakup has name-dropped her in several of his songs.

At last year’s ESPY Awards, she quipped that Drake did not stand a chance against Kendrick in their feud. “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 laughed.

“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.”