In the View show, Whoopi Goldberg gained attention after slaming Stephen A. Smith for linking Serena Williams’ Super Bowl halftime cameo to ex Drake.
Whoopi Goldberg defends Serena Williams’ Super Bowl halftime appearance
Whoopi Goldberg slammed Stephen A. Smith for connecting Serena Williams’ 2025 Super Bowl halftime show cameo to her past relationship with Drake.
On “The View,” Goldberg questioned why Smith couldn’t focus on Williams’ performance instead of her ex-boyfriend.
“Why wasn’t it, ‘Damn, Serena was great’? Why is it about some ex-boyfriend she hasn’t thought of?” Goldberg asked.
“All you can think of is her ex-boyfriend? I don’t understand. Why would you even think it was [about Drake]? Why would you think she’s not smart enough?” She added.
She emphasized that Williams’ dance moment was a significant opportunity and had nothing to do with Drake.
“She got a chance to do something she wanted to do, and she went and did it,” Goldberg said. “and instead of saying, ‘Damn, that was kind of great,’ you’re bringing it back to some old stuff.”
Stephen A. Smith’s controversial comments
During Lamar’s performance in Super Bowl, Williams joined Lamar’s performance of “Not Like Us,” his well-known diss track aimed at Drake.
Williams danced as Lamar rapped, adding another layer to their long-standing feud. Her involvement raised eyebrows, as she once dated Drake in 2011. Their brief romance later inspired Drake’s 2016 song, “Too Good,” where he sings, “I’m too good to you.”
However, Stephen A. Smith has comments about Williams’ performance.
Stephen A. Smith faced backlash for suggesting he would divorce Williams if she danced to Kendrick Lamar’s Drake diss track.
“If I’m married and my wife is joining trolling her ex, go back to his ass,” Smith said on “First Take.”
Goldberg countered by highlighting that Williams is happily married to Alexis Ohanian and doesn’t need to revisit her past.
“Stop trying to make it about somebody’s man. It ain’t always about somebody’s man. It’s about the person,” Goldberg stated.
Co-hosts support Goldberg’s perspective
Sara Haines agreed with Goldberg, noting that Williams’ husband praised her halftime performance.
“Her husband was like, ‘Pretty fantastic halftime show.’ Like, it was awesome,” Haines said.
Sunny Hostin added that Williams’ dance was an homage to her roots and a celebration of black joy and excellence.
“She was being her authentic self, an homage to her roots from Compton,” Hostin explained.
Social media reaction
On social media, many viewers expressed their excitement about Serena Williams’ performance, while others criticized Stephen A. Smith’s comments about it.
Meanwhile, some supported Goldberg’s view on Williams’ performance.
One person said: Drake has literally wrote like 4 songs about her and her husband and they have kept their mouths shut. Good for her to do this.
A second wroted: She was just enjoying and expressing herself.
While a third commented: Drake did a song dissing her husband. If I were husband , I would’ve learned that walk & been dancing right along side her.
Another added: It’s nots just for Drake it’s also for what happened to her for doing this dance on Wimbledon and the backlash she received. She and Kendrick were repoing Compton, is not just about a Drake. She’s bigger than him.
Previously, Williams clarified her Super Bowl cameo, stating it was inspired by her 2012 Olympics victory dance.
“I knew my winning dance after the Olympics would pay off one day,” Williams wrote on Instagram.
She emphasized that her performance was unrelated to Drake and celebrated her achievements.