Stephen A. Smith had some thoughts after Serena Williams shocked the crowd with her unexpected appearance at the 2025 Super Bowl.
“If I’m married and my wife is going to join trolling her ex, go back to his ass,” Smith, 57, said on the Monday, February 10, episode of First Take. “Cause clearly you don’t belong with me. What you worried about him for and you’re with me? Bye. Bye.”
While Kendrick Lamar rapped his hit diss track “Not Like Us” during the show on Sunday, February 9, cameras panned to Williams, 43, who was crip walking on top of a platform inside New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome. (The dance was popularized by gang members in Compton, California, where both Lamar, 37, and Williams were raised.)
The appearance appeared to fuel Lamar and Drake’s ongoing feud. Williams and Drake, 38, were romantically linked in the early 2010s, but never publicly confirmed their alleged romance.
Stephen A. Smith on Serena Williams’ cameo during the Super Bowl halftime show: “If I’m married and my wife is going to join trolling her ex, go back to his ass. ‘Cause clearly you don’t belong with me. What you worried about him for and you’re with me? Bye. Bye.” pic.twitter.com/uiYI2ltK4k
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 10, 2025
In “Not Like Us” Lamar seemingly tells Drake he “better not speak on Serena.” After the tune was released, Williams addressed Lamar and Drake’s feud while hosting the ESPY Awards in July 2024.
“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,” Williams quipped at the time. “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.”
Stephen A. Smith, Serena Williams. Getty Images (2)
Despite Smith’s take on the halftime show, Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, couldn’t help but gush over his wife’s cameo. (Williams and Ohanian, who tied the knot in 2017, share daughters Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., 6, and Adira River Ohanian, 17 months.)
“Pretty fantastic halftime show,” Ohanian, 41, wrote via X on Sunday. He also reposted a tweet of Williams dancing with a caption that read, “Highlight of the Super Bowl.”
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Venus Williams also publicly supported her younger sister. “Lil sis killing it,” Venus, 44, wrote via her Instagram Story on Monday reposting Serena’s video from the performance. Venus also commented on Serena’s Sunday post, “You did that!!! 💙✨.”
Venus also reposted a video of Serena crip walking in 2012, writing via her Instagram Story with a heart with arrow emoji, “I just! @serenawilliams.”
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Venus’ post was in reference to Serena’s headline-making crip walking celebration after winning the “Golden Slam” title in 2012. At the time, Serena responded to the comments in an interview with Us Weekly, saying, “It’s getting so much attention. It just happened. I was so excited that it just came out. I guess I’m good at it!”
Serena claimed that she didn’t “care” about the criticism at the time. “That’s the least of my worries,” she said. “I’m so excited I was able to do the dance. I’m glad I did it!”
After her Super Bowl appearance on Sunday, Serena reflected on her past controversial moves. “Man, I did not Crip Walk like that at Wimbledon. Ooh, I would have been fined! It was all love,” she said in an X post, captioning the clip, “Super Bowl halftime show babyyyyyyyyy.”
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