Why Serena Williams Avoided Taylor Swift At The 2025 Super Bowl

The retired tennis world champion had a dance cameo during the halftime show of the game while Swift attended to support her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, whose team, the Kansas City Chiefs, faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Serena Williams was also at the event with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, and their eldest daughter, Olympia.

In a chat with Time Magazine, Williams revealed that she chose not to visit Swift in her VIP box during the Super Bowl.

The tennis champ shared that she had more than just friendship as a reason to connect with the singer, revealing that her daughter Olympia, who attended the game with her, was eager to get Swift’s autograph.

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

However, when she saw Swift being booed by Philadelphia Eagles fans, Williams decided to scrap her plans for the meetup, even though she was already on her way to the suite with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, and their daughter.

“It’s hard when your team is losing, I totally get it,” Williams added, before giving more context to what happened.

“My husband and I, we’re so in a different space,” she said. “We’re so connected, we’re so in love, we’re just, like, trying to get our daughter Taylor Swift autographs. And nothing else.”

While Williams couldn’t get the autograph she wanted for her daughter, that did not stop her from defending the singer on social media against the boos.

“I love you @taylorswift13 dont listen to those booo!!” Williams wrote on X at the time.

During the heckling at the game, Swift responded with a mocking side-eye glance and reportedly mumbled, “aww what, what’s going on.”

Later on, a source revealed that the singer was “deeply” hurt by the incident and that her boyfriend, Kelce, felt helpless about the situation.

“Travis was aware of Taylor getting booed and he felt helpless. Seeing the look on her face got to him,” a source said, per the Daily Mail.

They added, “He always protects her and it broke his heart. He was already having a tough night and the fact that the stadium was predominantly Eagles fans didn’t help.”

As for Williams, she went on to have quite a memorable night, making a surprise cameo during Lamar’s halftime performance.

Taking to the stage, the multiple Grand Slam winner showed off her dancing skills, Crip Walking to the rapper’s viral song “Not Like Us,” which, coincidentally, is a diss track about Williams’ ex, Drake.

After the performance, Williams seemed really excited with her appearance as she shared behind-the-scenes photos from rehearsals with Olympia.

“Rehearsals anyone?” the tennis star captioned the post.

And when it was all over, Williams received praises from her fans and her husband.

“Pretty fantastic halftime show,” the wealthy entrepreneur, Ohanian, wrote on X.

A few critics took aim at Williams’ Super Bowl performance, alleging that her Crip Walk was a subtle jab at ex-boyfriend Drake, who was the subject of Lamar’s track.

In response, Williams expressed her disappointment, saying she was saddened that anyone would believe she was capable of such a petty move.

“I would never do that,” the tennis star told Time Magazine. “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,” Williams further remarked.

Williams and Drake were romantically involved around 2011, with sources claiming their relationship did now end on a good note.

However, according to reports, the former lovers have remained amicable since the split.

“Serena briefly dated Drake around 2011, and even though it didn’t end that well, they have remained friends since,” a source once informed Page Six. “He has been at her side at a lot of tournaments.”