Alexis Ohanian is defending his wife Serena Williams, who’s being slammed for stealing the Super Bowl halftime show with her crip walk, a controversial dance deeply rooted in the gangs of Southern California.
By the time Kendrick Lamar took the Super Bowl halftime stage at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, anticipation was at an all-time high. The song’s beat dropped, the stadium erupted, and then – just as the track hit one of its most infectious moments – the camera found Serena Williams, crip walking with the kind of effortless cool that only she could pull off.
The crip walk is a dance created in the 1970s by Robert “Sugar Bear” Jackson, a first-generation crip member – an alliance of street gangs mostly based in the coastal regions of Southern California.
Williams – a 23-time Grand Slam champion and cultural icon – effortlessly vibed to the Grammy-winning song, “Not Like Us” – Lamar’s diss track aimed at Drake.
The tennis star, who like Lamar grew up in Compton, reportedly dated the Canadian rapper before she married Alexis Ohanian, and by bringing her on stage, Lamar took his ongoing feud with Drake to a whole new level.
If there was any doubt about where Serena, 43, stood in the Drake vs. Kendrick feud, it was erased in that single dance move.
But it’s not the feud that sent the internet into a frenzy.
Olympic crip walk
Williams famously performed the crip walk on the Wimbledon court at the 2012 London Olympics, a move that was met with both celebration and controversy.
When it happened, Bill Plaschke, LA Times sports journalist, tweeted, “Serena C-walking at Wimbledon only shows how long she’s been away from home, separated from violence and death associated with that dance.”
Fans were divided on Williams doing the crip walk dance to celebrate her win, some saying it wasn’t “disrespectful,” while others suggested it was “stupid and classless.”
Responding to Plaschke’s criticism, one fan writes, “it’s a dance. Nothing more, nothing less. 12 yr olds who never heard of the gang do it. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.”
A second shares, “Moment of raw emotion. Questionable dance choice. Not disrespectful. We should embrace realness from athletes.” And another offered, “Shame she had to put a tarnish on an impressive win. just plain stupid and classless.”
Halftime crip walk
After the Eagles clinched the 2025 title, Williams shared a social media clip that she captioned, “Super Bowl halftime show babyyyyyyyyy.”
In the clip that’s been viewed 3.8 million times, she jokes, “Man I did not crip walk like that at Wimbledon, I would’ve been fined.”
Fans jumped into the comments section, praising her surprising cameo at the Super Bowl.
“Serena Williams! The converse, the outfit, the dance moves, the feature in Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not like us’ Super Bowl halftime show, winning on and off the tennis court,” shares one netizen.
A second writes, “The Legend herself. You represented.”
William’s sister shot
But not everyone approved of her slick dance moves at the Super Bowl 2025.
“Crip walking on national tv when her older sister was murdered by crips,” tweets one, referring to Williams’ big sister Yetunde Price, who died after taking a bullet to the head in a 2003 Compton shooting. Yetunde, 31, was killed by a “trigger happy street gangster” guarding a “Los Angeles crack house from gangland rivals.”
“I would never crip walk if they was responsible for the death of my sister,” offers a second, while a third brings Williams’ husband into the conversation.
“Just an embarrassing human being she is. Pathetic and will do anything to stay relevant now her limelight is gone. If Alexis had any balls, which…c’mon, he wouldn’t have put up with this.”
‘Winning off the court’
Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit, wasn’t willing to “put up” with criticisms aimed at his wife.
The day after the Super Bowl, Ohanian shared a post defending his tennis champ wife.
“Some of y’all have no idea how criticized Serena was for this same dance at Wimbledon 13 years ago and it shows…This is bigger than the music,” the 41-year-old writes in a tweet.
Ohanian – who shares two daughters with Williams – added a screenshot featuring past remarks from conservative sports commentator Jason Whitlock, who was with Fox Sports at the time.
Whitlock had originally criticized Williams, stating she “deserved to be criticized” for her celebratory dance and “should’ve immediately apologized.” He even went as far as comparing her crip walk on the tennis court to “cracking a tasteless, X-rated joke inside a church.”
To add to the moment, he also shared a clip of Samuel L. Jackson playing Uncle Sam at Lamar’s performance, where he said, “Oh no, no! Too loud! Too reckless! Too…ghetto.”
Fans jumped into the comments section of Ohanian’s February 9 post, offering their support.
“The girls that get it get it! There’s a reason Serena keeps winning off the court too,” writes one fan.
A second shares, “GOAT doing GOAT things. Wimbledon should apologize to Serena.” And another adds, “I’ve never been moved by a performance like I was last night. ever. Powerful. Poignant. Perfect. Thanks for being a part of what was a memorable stirring of the soul, Serena.”
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