Latest news with #CripWalk
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stephen A. Smith Said He'd Divorce Serena Williams — And She Has Thoughts
ESPN host Stephen A. Smith needs to learn that when you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes — especially when you trash tennis legend Serena Williams. Smith, who is now apparently considering a presidential run, blasted Williams for performing the Crip Walk during Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show earlier this year. Both the 23-time Grand Slam title holder and Lamar hail from Compton — and Williams' brief dance was a nod to the area's culture, a nuance that apparently escaped Smith. 'If I'm married, and my wife is going to join trolling her ex, go back to his ass,' Smith said during a February segment of ESPN's 'First Take' podcast. He was alluding to Williams' brief relationship with rapper Drake, who has had a longstanding feud with Lamar. Smith got pushback for his comments at the time, and months after the performance, Williams shared her own reaction to them. 'I thought it was hilarious,' Williams told Time in an interview published on Wednesday. 'He's allowed to have his personal opinion. But did you see my husband's remark? It was so eloquent.' She was referring to her husband, Alexis Ohanian, who delivered a viral comment on X, formerly Twitter. 'Some of y'all have no idea how criticized Serena was for this same dance at Wimbledon 13 years ago and it shows,' Ohanian wrote on Feb. 10. 'This is bigger than the music.' After the performance, Williams addressed the commentary on X like a champion: 'I think I proved 23 times over (not counting 4 gold medals) that I simply don't have time for petty. All love and respect always nothing negative here,' she wrote. Serena Williams Clears Up The Controversy Around Her Super Bowl Performance Whoopi Goldberg Slams Criticism Of Serena Williams' Super Bowl Performance Serena Williams' Sparks Controversy For Her Super Bowl Crip-Walk
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Serena Williams's Husband, Alexis Ohanian, Had The Best Response To Criticism Of Her Viral Appearance In Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show
Serena Williams's husband, Alexis Ohanian, is hitting back at criticism of her appearance in Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show. If you missed it, Serena made a super brief yet significant appearance toward the end of Kendrick's performance. While he was rapping 'Not Like Us,' his famous diss track at Drake, the cameras panned over to Serena, who was Crip Walking over the catchy beat. Several fans online immediately pointed out that Serena's Crip Walk felt hugely significant, given that she faced a heap of scrutiny for doing the same dance at Wimbledon in 2012. If you didn't know, the Crip Walk is a dance move that originated in Serena's hometown, Compton, in the '70s. Serena performed the move in celebration after winning against fellow tennis player Maria Sharapova, though she was sadly criticized for it and accused of 'glamorizing gang culture.' About a decade prior, her older sister was killed by a Southside Crips member. At the same time, a ton of social media users suggested that Serena dancing to 'Not Like Us' felt like a very pointed jab at Drake, given that they were romantically linked back in the day. It's important to note that Drake has mentioned Serena in his song lyrics more than once since they were rumored to be dating about a decade ago. In 2022, for example, he branded her husband a 'groupie' on his song 'Middle of the Ocean.' Media personality Stephen A. Smith was among those calling Serena out for seemingly making a jab at Drake by dancing on stage with Kendrick, suggesting on ESPN's chat show First Take that he'd divorce her over the move if he were her husband. '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,' he said. 'What you worried about him for and you're with me? Bye. Bye.' Stephen's comments sparked a divide online, and before long, Serena's *actual* husband Alexis (aka her number one fan) entered the conversation. If you didn't know, Alexis and Serena have been married since 2017. They share two daughters: Olympia and Adira. Taking to X, Alexis described the Super Bowl halftime show as 'pretty fantastic' before pointing out the importance of Serena's Crip Walk. Twitter: @alexisohanian '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,' the Reddit cofounder tweeted. Later replying directly to a tweet from the New York Post about Stephen's divisive comments, Alexis hilariously wrote, 'I got you @stephenasmith,' alongside a link to his tweet about the significance of Serena's dance. Loads of fans have since praised Alexis's response. One person wrote, 'He does NOT play about his wife,' while another echoed, 'I love the way you don't play about Serena.' 'I came here knowing @alexisohanian would respond in the best way possible. Everyone should be lucky enough to have someone who has their back the way he has @serenawilliams,' one more tweet read. I told you that Alexis is Serena's number one fan! I love this unbothered response from him. LMK your thoughts in the comments below. More on this Here's Why Serena Williams's Viral Appearance In Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show Is Suuuuch A Big DealLeyla Mohammed · Feb. 10, 2025 Alexis Ohanian Is Totally Cool Being Known As Serena Williams' Husband For The Rest Of His LifeAlex Gurley · April 21, 2021 Drake Called Serena Williams' Husband Alexis Ohanian A "Groupie," And Alexis Himself RespondedNatasha Jokic · Nov. 5, 2022
Buzz Feed
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Serena Williams's Husband, Alexis Ohanian, Had The Best Response To Criticism Of Her Viral Appearance In Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show
Serena Williams's husband, Alexis Ohanian, is hitting back at criticism of her appearance in Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show. If you missed it, Serena made a super brief yet significant appearance towards the end of Kendrick's performance. While he was rapping 'Not Like Us,' his famous diss track at Drake, the cameras panned over to Serena, who was Crip Walking over the catchy beat. Several fans online immediately pointed out that Serena's Crip Walk felt hugely significant, given that she faced a heap of scrutiny for doing the same dance at Wimbledon in 2012. If you didn't know, the Crip Walk is a dance move that originated in Serena's hometown, Compton, in the '70s. Serena performed the move in celebration after winning against fellow tennis player Maria Sharapova, though she was sadly criticized for it and accused of 'glamorizing gang culture.' About a decade prior, her older sister was killed by a Southside Crips member. At the same time, a ton of social media users suggested that Serena dancing to 'Not Like Us' felt like a very pointed jab at Drake, given that they were romantically linked back in the day. It's important to note that Drake has mentioned Serena in his song lyrics more than once since they were rumored to be dating about a decade ago. In 2022, for example, he branded her husband a 'groupie' on his song 'Middle Of The Ocean.' Media personality Stephen A. Smith was among those calling Serena out for seemingly making a jab at Drake by dancing on stage with Kendrick, suggesting on ESPN's chat show First Take that he'd divorce her over the move if he were her husband. '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,' he said. 'What you worried about him for and you're with me? Bye. Bye.' Stephen's comments sparked a divide online, and before long, Serena's *actual* husband Alexis (AKA her number one fan) entered the conversation. If you didn't know, Alexis and Serena have been married since 2015. They share two daughters: Olympia and Adira. Taking to X, Alexis described the Super Bowl halftime show as 'pretty fantastic' before pointing out the importance of Serena's Crip Walk. Pretty fantastic halftime show. — Alexis Ohanian 🗽 (@alexisohanian) February 10, 2025 Twitter: @alexisohanian '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,' the Reddit cofounder tweeted. Later replying directly to a tweet from the New York Post about Stephen's divisive comments, Alexis hilariously wrote, 'I got you @stephenasmith,' alongside a link to his tweet about the significance of Serena's dance. Loads of fans have since praised Alexis's response. One person wrote, 'He does NOT play about his wife,' while another echoed, 'I love the way you don't play about Serena.' 'I came here knowing @alexisohanian would respond in the best way possible. Everyone should be lucky enough to have someone who has their back the way he has @serenawilliams,' one more tweet read.
Express Tribune
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Serena Williams' husband claps back at Stephen A. Smith over Super Bowl Drake diss controversy
Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith did not hold back when discussing Serena Williams' appearance during Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl LIX halftime show, calling it a petty move against her ex, Drake. Lamar's performance, which featured Samuel L. Jackson, SZA, and Mustard, included Serena as a background dancer during "Not Like Us"—a song widely seen as a diss toward Drake. Williams even broke into a Crip Walk, fueling online buzz about whether she was subtly taunting the rapper. On ESPN's First Take , Smith voiced his disapproval while debating the performance with Molly Qerim, Shannon Sharpe, Dan Orlovsky, and Ryan Clark. "If I'm married and my wife is going to join trolling her ex, go back to his a*s," Smith said. "'Cause clearly you don't belong with me. What you worried about him for and you're with me? Bye. Bye." However, Williams' actual husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian quickly shut down Smith's take in a post on X (formerly Twitter): "Some of y'all have no idea how criticized Serena was for this same dance at Wimbledon 13 years ago, and it shows…" Ohanian posted, referring to the backlash she faced for doing the Crip Walk after winning Olympic gold in 2012. To drive his point home, Ohanian shared an old screenshot of sports commentator Jason Whitlock's past remarks, where Whitlock had slammed Serena's Wimbledon celebration stating that she deserved to be criticised, should have immediately apologised and that "Her dance was akin to cracking a tasteless, X-rated joke inside a church." His most pointed response came in the form of a video clip from Kendrick Lamar's set, where Samuel L. Jackson sarcastically exclaims: "Oh no, no! Too loud! Too reckless! Too… ghetto." The satire was not lost on Ohanian, who used it to emphasize the hypocrisy in how Serena has been judged throughout her career.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Serena Williams jokes she 'died a little' during Super Bowl Halftime Show
Serena Williams has joked she "died a little" during her surprise appearance at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Amid Kendrick Lamar's fiery performance of Not Like Us during his headlining set at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on Sunday night, the tennis champion took to the stage. A close-up showed Serena doing a Crip Walk dance at the front of the stage while directing her gaze at the camera. In a short clip posted to Instagram after the show, the entrepreneur declared, "Oh, I did not Crip Walk like that at Wimbledon, I would have been fined!" And in another post shot shortly before the event, Serena was filmed working on her moves while her glam team applied the final touches to her make-up. "Let's go Super Bowl halftime??! I died a little!" she captioned the post. Serena's cameo was a fitting addition to Kendrick's Halftime Show, as they share a hometown of Compton, California. However, many followers pointed out that her appearance during Not Like Us was seemingly another way for the hip-hop star to make a dig at Drake, as the sportswoman and Canadian rapper dated back in 2011. "Ok I lied SERENA WILLIAMS doing a CRIP WALK on Drake's tomb (this performance) was THE BEST thing I've ever seen," one user wrote on X, while another added: "Serena Williams, Drake's ex-girlfriend, crip walking to #TheyNotLikeUs is diabolical." Meanwhile, Kendrick also pointed to his highly publicised feud with Drake before launching into the diss track. "I want to play their favourite song, but you know they love to sue," the 37-year-old declared, referring to his rival filing a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) in January in which he alleged bosses at the music giant defamed him by promoting the song. Drake, 38, has not yet responded to Kendrick's Super Bowl Halftime Show performance. The Grammy Award winner also performed songs Luther and All the Stars with SZA as part of the spectacle, while Samuel L. Jackson made a cameo as Uncle Sam. The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 during the game.
