Serena Williams' sister Venus Williams reveals never-told-before inside details of Super Bowl cameo with Kendrick Lamar

Serena Williams' Super Bowl cameo surprised football fans and sparked new controversies. However, Venus Williams saw it as a valuable opportunity for her sister to perform at such a major sporting event. She praised Serena’s moves alongside Kendrick Lamar and shared how she discovered that her sister was secretly rehearsing for the show.

Serena surprised fans with a special appearance during Kendrick Lamar's halftime show at the Super Bowl. She performed the crip walk, a dance that started in Los Angeles. However, the performance also brought back memories of past controversy, as she was also seen doing the same moves at Wimbledon back in 2012.

Venus discussed Serena's quirky moves at the 2025 Super Bowl. The seven-time Grand Slam champion mentioned her impromptu plans to watch the rehearsals with her sister Isha.

"I actually went to the rehearsal—I didn't even know I was going! I was at the Super Bowl for an event with young girls in sports, and my older sister, Isa, was like, 'Hey, we gotta go!'...Next thing I know, we pull up to a warehouse—we get to a rehearsal! So I got to see the rehearsal, and that was so cool because I love dance. I got to see a preview of it! I didn’t even know she was doing it until that day. It was a Friday. We don’t even talk about work that much," she said, in a recent episode of the Tennis Weekly podcast.

Venus also gushed over the opportunity from Kendrick Lamar, making it clear that she would've always been up for it.

"It was very cool to see all that. And I think, for her, it was—okay, first of all, how many times is someone going to ask you, 'Hey, do you want to perform with me at the Super Bowl?' Pretty much never! It doesn’t matter who you are. Kendrick didn’t even ask another artist, really. There were a couple, but basically, you don’t get a chance to perform at the Super Bowl. So the answer is always, 'Absolutely! Right away! Where should I be?' It had, in a lot of ways, nothing to do with anyone else—it was a once-in-a-never opportunity," she added.

Although the cameo alongside Lamar was linked to her bygone phase with rapper Drake, the family supported Serena to emerge out of the criticism.

Sister Venus sees Serena Williams' Super Bowl cameo as a response to critiques

Serena Williams at the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show - Source: Getty

WTA star Venus Williams, besides gushing over Serena's stylish crip walk at the Super Bowl, also saw it as a moment that marked her emergence from criticism. The 23-time Grand Slam champion performed similar steps after winning an Olympic gold at the London Olympics by defeating Maria Sharapova. During Wimbledon 2012, she performed a similar dance form, which drew criticism from fans around the world.

Venus, however, beamed with pride while addressing Serena's appearance with Kendrick Lamar. She said:

I think for her, it was just about that and then obviously the history of when she did the Walk for the first time, people were like 'no it's wrong' and then she just got to walk all over the world and that was very powerful. She did say on that topic that she's actually the better dancer so Serena maybe did a great job she said if you're looking for someone to sort of Dance dance with more spontaneously," Venus shared, in the aforementioned podcast.

Controversies generally tend to chase Serena Williams but the massive support from fans and family always helps her stay strong and get over the criticism. The former WTA pro also made another star-studded appearance during a match between Inter Miami FC and New York City FC.