Serena Williams Says Super Bowl Dancing Wasn’t a Dig at Drake: “Not Dancing to be Petty”

Serena Williams is not the least bit bothered by the criticism she’s faced for appearing at the Super Bowl halftime show with Kendrick Lamar.

A week after her viral “crip walking” to “Not Like Us,” Williams showed love to her husband, Alexis Ohanian, who defended her amid backlash. Some critics, including controversial commentator Jason Whitlock, suggested she owed Drake an apology for allegedly shading him during the performance. Ohanian, a co-founder of Reddit, responded by posting a clip of her dancing on Twitter, standing by his wife.

Williams seemingly addressed the controversy, writing, “That there my baby daddy and husband. Always got my back. I Love you.” She added, “Gosh I’m so late to the game (I’ve been sick) & busy investing in billion dollar companies and running @WYNbeauty… def not dancing to be petty lol.”

Making it clear she’s unfazed, Williams continued, “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.”

Drake and Williams were romantically linked between 2011 and 2015. Since she has moved on, Drake has dissed the famed athlete several times in his music. In 2022, on the track “Middle of the Ocean,” Drizzy rapped, “Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie. He claim we don’t got a problem but, no boo, it is like you coming for sushi.”