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Stephen A. Smith is letting it be known that he is standing by his comments that he made on Serena Williams.
The tennis great had a cameo during the Super Bowl halftime show that was headlined by Kendrick Lamar. Williams was seen c-walking during the “Not Like Us” part of the performance. While the five-time Grammy-winning diss track is aimed at Drake, someone that Williams previously dated in the 2010s, many fans thought it was a “petty” move of the athlete to be a part of the performance. One person in particular is not backing down from his comments on the matter.
“If I’m married and my wife is going to join trolling her ex, go back to his a–,” Smith said on First Take Monday (Feb. 10). “’Cause clearly you don’t belong with me. What you worried about him for and you’re with me? Bye. Bye.”
On Tuesday (Feb. 11), he responded to the backlash he received online by simply not backing down from his comments. One post on X in particular caught the ESPN's host eye.
“A 57 year old UNMARRIED man with a receding hairline who has never BEEN married mind you, saying he would divorce our greatest living athlete who has been happily married for 8 years to her very rich and loving husband—keep quiet forehead,” the fan wrote disagreeing with Smith's analysis of Williams' Super Bowl cameo.
Smith then quoted the post, writing, “Please go back and look at exactly what I said. I was talking overall from a man’s perspective — highlighting what most men would think.”
“I didn’t utter a single disrespectful word about Serena. No issues with folks getting upset of literal serious stuff one’s pissed about. This doesn’t qualify peeps,” he added.
“Come on. We were joking around on @FirstTake. D*mn y’all! It’s not that serious,” he concluded his message.
However, Smith was not the only celebrity that thought what Williams did was not right. Radio personality, Howard Stern, also chimed in.
“He’s got a point. I hear what he’s saying,” Stern said on The Howard Stern Show Tuesday (Feb. 11) . “She used to go out with Drake, and by dissing him at the Super Bowl, it indicates she’s still living that whole scenario. He’s right. I agree with Stephen A.”
What Did Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian Say About Her Super Bowl Cameo?
While Smith and Stern did not care for Williams' cameo, she and her husband were not concerned about others opinions.
Williams and Alexis Ohanian got married in 2017 and have two daughters together: Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., who goes by Olympia, and Adira River Ohanian.
“Pretty fantastic halftime show,” Ohanian wrote on X following the performance.
As for Williams, she shared in a recap video how she was contacted for the Super Bowl.
“When @kendricklamar and team called and was like ‘we’ve been trying to do something forever, what about this? We loved your crip walk at the Olympics after you won the gold medal,” Williams wrote in the caption of her recap of the night's performance.
“I’m like Super Bowl? Are you serious? When in the world would I ever be able to dance at a superbowl? (Never) let’s do it! I knew my winning dance after the @olympics would pay off one day. End of story.”
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