Serena Williams at the Super Bowl halftime show. Picture: X/@serenawilliams
Pop culture thrives on drama, and there's nothing quite like a feud that includes rap beefs, former lovers, and surprise appearances.
And Serena Williams? Well, she just stepped into the mix in a way that’s got the internet going crazy.
The tennis legend made a surprise appearance at the Super Bowl half-time show, strutting onto the stage during Kendrick Lamar’s performance of “Not Like Us” - aka the track that’s basically an entire diss letter to Drake, her ex-boyfriend.
Now, was she just having a bit of fun or was this a well-placed diss at Drizzy? The timeline is eating this one up.
For those who need a refresher, Serena and Drake had a thing back in 2015.
The rapper was seen at her matches, the two were spotted on dinner dates, and the rumour mill was working overtime. But whatever they had fizzled out and Williams later married Alexis Ohanian, the Reddit co-founder.
Drake, on the other hand, has never been great at handling exes moving on (see: Rihanna).
So, when Lamar dropped “Not Like Us”, dragging him, while Williams popped up dancing to it at the biggest sports event of the year? Yeah, people had questions.
Social media went into full meltdown mode. Some fans couldn’t get over how effortlessly Williams pulled off the Crip Walk, others marvelled at her insane legs, but most were focused on the subliminal shade.
Was she throwing an indirect “F you” at Drake? Was she just vibing?
Then, just when the internet couldn’t spiral any further, Ohanian jumped in. The 41-year-old took to X (formerly Twitter) to post about the show, praising his wife and sharing snaps from their VIP box seats. “Pretty fantastic halftime show,” he wrote.
He also added: “Some of y'all have no idea how criticised Serena was for this same dance at Wimbledon 13 years ago and it shows .... This is bigger than the music.”
Some of y'all have no idea how criticized Serena was for this same dance at Wimbledon 13 years ago and it shows.... This is bigger than the music. pic.twitter.com/Xq4O96Yg0s
— Alexis Ohanian 🗽 (@alexisohanian) February 11, 2025
Was this just a husband hyping up his wife or was he low-key taking sides in the Drake vs Kendrick war? Because let’s be real - if your wife’s ex is getting roasted in a song, and she just so happens to dance to it on national TV, it’s hard not to question the reason.
At this point, the Drake and Lamar beef has been going on longer than it needs to. It’s not even giving Biggie and Pac levels of legendary - it’s just dragging. Fans are ready for some fresh music, not just diss tracks that keep adding fuel to the fire.
Was Serena’s Super Bowl moment a calculated dig at Drake? A coincidence? A bit of both? We may never know.