Serena Williams received a show of support from a slew of celebrity friends following her surprise Super Bowl halftime performance on Sunday.
The 43-year-old retired athlete stormed the stage with rapper Kendrick Lamar to perform a flawless crip walk while dressed in a blue tennis skirt and matching jacket.
Afterward, she took to Instagram to share footage from the show with her 17 million followers. She wrote in the caption, ‘SB25,’ along with a microphone and downward arrow emoji.
Lamar, 37, rapped his huge, Grammy-winning 2024 hit Not Like Us — the song that cemented him as the unofficial winner of his rap battle with nemesis Aubrey ‘Drake’ Graham, who is also Serena’s ex.
Stars seemingly siding with Lamar and Williams, as evidenced by their encouraging social media comments, included Jamie Foxx, Amanda Kloots, Queen Latifah, Awkwafina, Tamar Braxton, and more.
Serena Williams received a show of support from a slew of celebrity friends following her surprise Super Bowl halftime performance on Sunday
Stars encouraging Williams with social media comments included Jamie Foxx and Amanda Kloots
Jamie left not one, but two comments, first writing, ‘Legend,’ and later going back to add that the mother-of-two, ‘Ate,’ a term used to describe when someone has done something well.
Amanda said Serena’s appearance was the ‘best part of the show.’
Tamar Braxton echoed Foxx’s sentiment as she commented, ‘Ate that, sis,’ with a fire emoji.
And automobile brand Lincoln was even part of the discourse, with the official Instagram account dropping a line that said, ‘We see you,’ with a starry-eyed emoji.
Actor Simu Liu didn’t use words, simply opting to drop a single crown emoji underneath the video of Williams dancing.
Serena’s sister Venus, a tennis legend in her own right and a fellow Compton native, added a blue heart emoji and stars.
Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles was another famous face who appeared in the comments.
Knowles wrote an enthusiastic, ‘Yessss!’ and added, ‘We screamed when we saw you,’ along with a string of red heart emoji.
Jamie left not one, but two comments, first writing, ‘Legend’
Later, the actor/singer went back to add that the mother-of-two, ‘Ate’
Kloots left a gushing comment for Serena
Tamar Braxton echoed Foxx’s sentiment as she commented, ‘Ate that, sis,’ with a fire emoji
Automobile brand Lincoln was even part of the discourse, with the official Instagram account dropping a line that said, ‘We see you,’ with a starry-eyed emoji
Actor Simu Liu didn’t use words, simply opting to drop a single crown emoji underneath the video of Williams dancing
Serena’s sister Venus, a tennis legend in her own right and a fellow Compton native, added a blue heart emoji and stars
The 43-year-old retired athlete stormed the stage with rapper Kendrick Lamar to perform a flawless crip walk while dressed in a blue tennis skirt and matching jacket
Queen Latifah lauded Serena, writing, ‘@serenawilliams is my SUPERHERO!!!!!’
Comedic actress and writer Awkwafina dropped a trio of fire emoji to express support.
Michael Jackson’s sister LaToya Jackson got behind the tennis legend, writing, ‘Oh, Serena, how cute! Love it!!!’
And an unexpected display of support came from Sesame Street muppet Elmo.
The furry red character wrote, ‘Great dance moves, Ms. Serena! Elmo loves you,’ adding enthusiastic emoji.
Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles was another famous face who appeared in the comments
Queen Latifah lauded Serena, writing, ‘@serenawilliams is my SUPERHERO!!!!!’
Comedic actress and writer Awkwafina dropped a trio of fire emoji to express support
Michael Jackson’s sister LaToya Jackson got behind the tennis legend, writing, ‘Oh, Serena, how cute! Love it!!!’
And an unexpected display of support came from Sesame Street muppet Elmo
While Serena’s cameo was brief, lasting mere seconds, it sent fans into a frenzy, given her history with Drake after the pair were romantically linked in the past.
The crip walk also holds personal significance to the star after she performed a similar celebratory dance when she defeated Maria Sharapova at the Olympics in 2012.
Culturally, the dance is symbolic as it was born in her hometown of Compton, California, where Kendrick was also bred.
The dance sparked controversy at Wimbledon years earlier due to its origins in gang culture and association with violence and death.
After Sunday’s performance Williams joked in a video shared online: ‘I didn’t crip walk like that at Wimbledon — I would have been fined!’
