What did Jamie Lee Curtis say about Billie Jean King? Actress pays tribute to ex-Tennis star as she is honored with the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis expressed her admiration for former Tennis star Billie Jean King after the latter was honored with the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 7, 2025. As per reports, King is the first woman from sports entertainment to receive this feat. Sharing her love on Instagram, Curtis wrote:

“The honor of a lifetime. I have admired @billiejeanking for so many things, her skill ON the court, but mostly her profound accomplishments OFF the court as an advocate and leader in the fight for equality and inclusion and love, and it was thrilling to be one of the speakers todayalong with Magic @magicjohnson and her wife @cooksandking here in my City of Angels honoring Billie Jean on the Hollywood walk of fame.”

In her speech at the ceremony, Jamie Lee Curtis also recalled something Billie Jean once shared, when she was outed, she lost all her sponsorship deals just as she was starting to make real money. However, despite the setback, Billie Jean saw it as a blessing because it allowed her to live openly and authentically, inspiring countless others to do the same. The actress said:

“Billie Jean King's marriage to Ilana Kloss and their beautiful partnership and marriage and deep respect for each other has helped Billie build an even stronger foundation from which to help even more people through the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative.

Jamie Lee Curtis went on:

“And the joy and the fun that they have traveling the world together sharing their lives and fighting together against all discrimination and inequality and they're doing it paired up fully committed to each other and are the greatest couple I know.”

Jamie Lee Curtis called Billie Jean King an extraordinary woman

Jamie Lee Curtis praised Billie Jean King as a powerful force in every area of her life—from sports and law to media and activism. She highlighted how Billie Jean fought for freedom and stayed true to herself. Curtis said that what made Billie Jean King special wasn’t just her success in tennis, but how she leads with love in everything she does.

She pointed out how fitting it is that the word "love," a part of tennis scoring, also defined Billie Jean’s life beyond the sport. Jamie Lee Curtis emphasized that Billie Jean’s star on the Walk of Fame represented more than her athletic achievements.

It symbolized her passion, support for others, and lifelong fight for equality. She added that Billie Jean King has poured her heart into every part of her journey, touching lives far beyond the tennis court. Jamie Lee Curtis went on:

“And there is not a woman in any professional sport or any LGBTQ+ human being whose life has not been shaped and helped and supported by this extraordinary woman's great talents and her even greater contributions in improving the lives of other people on a daily basis through her words, actions and the extending of her hand and her experience, strength and hope to everyone.”

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In her speech, Billie Jean King said she viewed sports as a form of entertainment, similar to acting, and noted that athletes enjoyed performing for a crowd just like actors. She expressed her honor to be the first woman in the sports entertainment category to be given the Walk of Fame.

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