Tennis champ Serena Williams has broken her silence after delighting fans with a surprise cameo during Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show at the Super Bowl on Sunday.

The athlete successfully kept plans for her performance under wraps, keeping the details secret before she took to the stage to “Crip Walk” to the rapper’s hit “Not Like Us.”

Why It Matters

Lamar’s song “Not Like Us” is seen as a diss track targeting fellow rapper Drake, who he refers to in the lyrics as being part of a group of “certified pedophiles.” Drake has denied the allegation and is suing the Universal Music Group in federal court, alleging defamation and harassment after the company distributed the track.

Williams’ appearance during the song at the Super Bowl show only deepened the intrigue, as it follows years of unconfirmed speculation about a past romantic relationship between Williams and Drake. And a line in Lamar’s track also appears to warn Drake that he “better not speak on Serena.”

Serena Williams performs during the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show at Caesars Superdome on February 9, 2025, in New Orleans. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Millions tune in to the Super Bowl, with many watching solely for the halftime show before switching it off. In 2023, around 113 million viewers watched the game in full, while 121 million watched Rihanna’s performance, according to Nielsen’s viewing figures.

What To Know

Williams wore a blue tennis skirt with blue Converse, a white crop top, and a blue jacket as she did the “Crip Walk.” The dance move was made popular by The Crips gang and originated in her hometown, Compton, California. The Crips’ gang color is blue.

Williams posted a clip of her segment on the Super Bowl on Instagram, which garnered more than 1 million “likes.”

Serena Williams Speaks Out After Her Surprise Cameo At The Super Bowl

Tennis champ Serena Williams has broken her silence after delighting fans with a surprise cameo during Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show at the Super Bowl on Sunday.

The athlete successfully kept plans for her performance under wraps, keeping the details secret before she took to the stage to “Crip Walk” to the rapper’s hit “Not Like Us.”

Why It Matters

Lamar’s song “Not Like Us” is seen as a diss track targeting fellow rapper Drake, who he refers to in the lyrics as being part of a group of “certified pedophiles.” Drake has denied the allegation and is suing the Universal Music Group in federal court, alleging defamation and harassment after the company distributed the track.

Williams’ appearance during the song at the Super Bowl show only deepened the intrigue, as it follows years of unconfirmed speculation about a past romantic relationship between Williams and Drake. And a line in Lamar’s track also appears to warn Drake that he “better not speak on Serena.”

Serena Williams performs during the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show at Caesars Superdome on February 9, 2025, in New Orleans. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Millions tune in to the Super Bowl, with many watching solely for the halftime show before switching it off. In 2023, around 113 million viewers watched the game in full, while 121 million watched Rihanna’s performance, according to Nielsen’s viewing figures.

What To Know

Williams wore a blue tennis skirt with blue Converse, a white crop top, and a blue jacket as she did the “Crip Walk.” The dance move was made popular by The Crips gang and originated in her hometown, Compton, California. The Crips’ gang color is blue.

Williams posted a clip of her segment on the Super Bowl on Instagram, which garnered more than 1 million “likes.”

It’s not the first time that Williams has shown off her crip walking skills. The star famously did an impromptu dance to celebrate beating Maria Sharapova at the 2012 London Olympics, a move that proved controversial at the time.

After her halftime performance, she shared a clip on X, formerly Twitter, showing her backstage as assistants helped her change. She cackled after joking: “Man, I did not crip walk like that at Wimbledon! Ooh, I would’ve been fined!” The 9-second clip went viral as it was shared more than 10,000 times.

Another piece of footage, shared 27,000 times, showed her posing and slowly dancing a little. She captioned the video: “Let’s go Super Bowl halftime??! I died a little!!

Super Bowl halftime show babyyyyyyyyy pic.twitter.com/zufoSNdNhe

— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) February 10, 2025

She also shared a photo of herself on the field in a black track suit on her Instagram page. “Fun casual night and I got to visit the field,” she said.

Williams posted a video on Instagram that showed her on the field at Caesars Superdome and interacting with some fans in the stands.

“It’s the Super Bowl!!!!!!!! Are you ready?” she captioned the video.

She spoke directly into the camera to say it was “pretty dope” to be on the field and joked, “Yeah, I think I could definitely not play football! So I decided that YOLO, when is the next time I’m going to be able to run on a field?” She took off her tracksuit bottoms to reveal shorts underneath and charged across the side of the field. The crowd cheered as they realized it was her.

What People Are Saying

Online opinions about Lamar’s performance have been split, with some social media users praising it and others saying it was dull. Newsweek has rounded up what the internet made of the halftime show.

Tennis star Coco Gauff, on X: Gauff praised Williams as a GOAT (greatest of all time) and an “icon doing iconic things.”