Serena Williams turned heads during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show, but her surprise appearance wasn’t just about the music—it was packed with hidden meaning. The tennis icon, who famously dated Drake over a decade ago, joined Lamar on stage as he performed his viral diss track, Not Like Us, leaving fans buzzing about the subtle jab at her ex.
But the drama didn’t start at the Super Bowl. Just hours before her cameo, Drake took aim at his former flames during a concert in Australia. “You ever gave your time, energy, money, heart, and soul to someone, and they wasted it?” he asked the crowd before performing You Broke My Heart. While he didn’t name names, fans quickly connected the dots to Serena and other exes.
Williams, however, had the last laugh. The 23-time Grand Slam champion, now happily married to Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, stole the show with her confident crip walk during Lamar’s performance. It wasn’t her first time making headlines with the dance move—she famously crip walked at Wimbledon after winning Olympic gold in 2012, sparking both criticism and admiration.
This time, her appearance felt like a full-circle moment. Lamar’s Not Like Us includes the line, “Better not speak on Serena,” a clear reference to Drake’s past lyrics about Williams. In his 2022 track Middle of the Ocean, Drake rapped, “Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie,” reigniting their complicated history.
Serena wasn’t the only one of Drake’s exes on stage—SZA also performed alongside Lamar, adding another layer to the drama. But while Drake took shots at his past relationships, Williams remained unbothered, focusing on her family and legacy.
Ohanian, who watched the halftime show from the stands, proudly supported his wife, tweeting, “Pretty fantastic halftime show.” It’s clear that Serena’s Super Bowl moment was more than just a performance—it was a statement of resilience and triumph.
