Stephen A. Smith defends his stance on Serena Williams & Kendrick Lamar’s performance

Stephen A Smith has once again shared his strong opinion about Serena Williams’ surprise appearance during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance dissing Drake on February 9.

The ESPN commentator criticised Serena Williams for dancing on stage while Kendrick Lamar performed “Not Like Us,” a diss track aimed at Drake. Many believe the moment was a direct jab at Drake, who dated Williams in the early 2010s.

Stephen A Smith, known for his outspoken takes, argued that Serena Williams should not have taken part in what seemed like trolling her ex.

Speaking on First Take on February 10, Stephen A Smith said, “If I’m married and my wife is going to join in trolling her ex, go back to him, ’cause clearly you don’t belong with me.”

Read More: Kendrick Lamar delivers ‘Not Like Us’ on the Super Bowl stage

His comments sparked a strong reaction online, with many social media users supporting Serena Williams.

One X user, @MediumSizeMeech, fired back at Stephen A. Smith, calling him out for never having been married.

The post read, “A 57-year-old UNMARRIED man with a receding hairline who has never BEEN married, 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.”

Stephen A Smith responded on February 11, saying people were taking his words too seriously. “I was talking from a general man’s perspective. I didn’t disrespect Serena at all. This is not that serious,” he wrote.

During the show, Stephen A Smith’s co-hosts, Ryan Clark and Shannon Sharpe, also shared their thoughts. Ryan Clark joked that anyone married to Williams would be well taken care of, while Shannon Sharpe reminded Stephen A Smith that Serena Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, is the billionaire founder of Reddit.

Meanwhile, Alexis Ohanian supported Serena and praised Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show. On X, he wrote, “Pretty fantastic halftime show.”

The next day, he pointed out that Serena Williams had received backlash for the same dance move in the past. “Some of you have no idea how criticised Serena was for this same dance at Wimbledon 13 years ago, and it shows.”

Williams also responded with humor. After Kendrick Lamar’s performance, she shared a video joking about her moves, saying, “Man, I did not crip-walk like that at Wimbledon. Oh, I would’ve been fined.” She added, “It was all love.”

The moment brought back memories of 2012 when Serena Williams did the crip walk after winning gold at the London Olympics.

At the time, she faced heavy criticism, with many calling the dance inappropriate. Now, with Kendrick Lamar’s hit song playing at the Super Bowl, Williams’ dance has sparked fresh debates, with Stephen A. Smith at the center of the discussion.