“Why would you boo her?”—Serena Williams defends Taylor Swift against Super Bowl fan hate in new interview

Serena Williams, the only player to accomplish a career Golden Slam in tennis, was with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, at the 2025 Super Bowl. The couple was interested in getting an autograph from Taylor Swift for their daughter Olympia.

The pop star was at the game supporting her boyfriend, Travis Michael Kelce, tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. Williams and Ohanian chose not to approach Taylor Swift for the autograph after it became clear that the Kansas City Chiefs were unlikely to win.

In New Orleans, the reactions to Taylor Swift weren’t all cheers, like the ones she’s used to by Swifties. Reportedly few Eagles supporters voiced their disapproval with a chorus of boos.

Speaking to The Times, Serena Williams expressed her disapproval over the crowd’s reaction. Williams said,

“Why would you boo her? That’s so mean. That’s just awful.”

Outside of Swift’s suite, Olympia waited patiently with her parents, hoping for a chance to meet the You Belong With Me, singer. The athlete said,

“I’m such a mom. I was ready to go in here myself and be like, ‘Taylor, come get this girl.’”

But with the Eagles running up the score on the Chiefs, she thought it would be best to give Swift her distance.

“It’s hard when your team is losing. I totally get it."

Following the crowd’s reaction when Taylor Swift was booed during the game, Serena Williams offered some public support via X, formerly known as Twitter.

Serena Williams Crip Walk backlash at the Super Bowl

Some viewers weren’t thrilled with Williams’s brief appearance in Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show, where she crip walked to his performance of “Not Like Us,” the rapper’s diss track at Drake.

The bad blood between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, two of hip-hop’s most prominent figures, has been a significant topic in the music industry. Their rap rivalry, marked by a series of diss tracks and public exchanges, has gained widespread attention. Both artists have released tracks that critique each other’s personal and professional lives.

A few weeks before the game, Lamar reached out to Serena Williams. The two share their hometown, as they both grew up in Compton, California.

“We’ve been trying to do something together for ages,” she shared.

Previously in 2012, Williams had celebrated her Olympic gold too by doing the Crip walk. Crip Walk, also known as C-Walk, is a dance style that was born in the Los Angeles gang culture. The dance is performed using quick and intricate footwork, where dancers often spell out “C-R-I-P” with their feet. The dance move drew heat at the time, with few in the media calling it inappropriate.

Some fans speculated that Serena Williams’ cameo in Lamar’s halftime show was a subtle jab at the Canadian rapper and singer, given her past with Drake, whom she reportedly dated in 2011. But as she told Time, that wasn’t the case. She stated,

“Absolutely not, I would never do that. And that was sad, that anyone would ever think that. I respect how they could. Obviously I can see how someone would think that. But absolutely not. I have never had negative feelings towards him. We’ve known him for so many years.”

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Before stepping onto the field at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Serena Williams had a couple of shots of tequila; however, they didn’t do much to settle her nerves. A third was on her mind, but her handlers waved it off.

According to Time, Lamar’s performance prompted 125 complaints to the FCC. Among them was one that took aim at Serena Williams, accusing her of “promoting gang affiliation” through her cameo.

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