The internet had quite a fangirl moment last night when Beyoncé appeared to be in the stands of the U.S. Open during a match between her friend Serena Williams and Montenegran tennis player Danka Kovinic.
But upon closer look, many were certain it wasn't Beyoncé but rather Laverne Cox, whose face mask made her a dead ringer for Queen Bey. Soon a wave of confusion settled in on Twitter as people tried to suss out who exactly it was.
Before long, Cox herself was chiming in to confirm it was in fact her who was in the stands cheering on Williams in a series of tweets that had fans chuckling.
\u201cAbsolutely! GO @serenawilliams #USOpentennis\u201d— Laverne Cox (@Laverne Cox) 1661823875
Cox quote-tweeted a post which declared her the "2nd biggest winner tonight" for being "mistaken for Beyonce all night. Which is a career highlight for literally anyone."
Hard to argue with that, and Cox agreed, responding "Absolutely!" along with a cheer for Williams.
But even after that, some people were still confused which icon was in the stands.
So Cox took to Twitter again later in the evening to set the record straight.
\u201cGirl it was me. Lol\u201d— Laverne Cox (@Laverne Cox) 1661826775
She told another tweeter, "Girl, it was me. Lol."
Mystery solved!
But one glimpse at Cox in the stands, as in the video below, quickly revealed why this became such a mystery.
\u201c#Beyonc\u00e9 at the #USOpen\u201d— Choni -Chonstradums\ud83d\udd2e-Jamal\ud83e\udd18\ud83c\udffe\ud83d\udcab\ud83e\udddf\u200d\u2642\ufe0f (@Choni -Chonstradums\ud83d\udd2e-Jamal\ud83e\udd18\ud83c\udffe\ud83d\udcab\ud83e\udddf\u200d\u2642\ufe0f) 1661816576
Pretty much a dead ringer for Queen Bey if you're not paying close attention--especially in since-deleted photos
And given Bey's and Williams' close friendship—Williams even had an iconic cameo in Beyoncé's "Lemonade" film back in 2016—it would make sense she'd be at the event—though perhaps not just casually seated in the stands.
She is Queen Bey, after all.
The ultra-flattering mix-up had even Cox herself cutting up online, posting a group of confused tweets about the situation to Instagram that she called "funny as hell."
Her caption said it all:
"Not me getting mistaken for @Beyonce at the #USOpen tonight then trending on Twitter as the internet cackles over the mistaken identity. These tweets are funny as hell. Enjoy!!!"
And the internet definitely did enjoy, posting a flood of funny tweets about the mix-up.
\u201cThe fact that many of us thought Laverne Cox was Beyonc\u00e9 \ud83d\ude2d \n\nSure had me fooled! #USOpen2022\u201d— Taylor Jay (@Taylor Jay) 1661822053
\u201cLol this is Alabama legend Laverne Cox but miss girl is giving Beyonce tonight \ud83d\ude05\ud83d\ude02\u201d— Ashlee Woods \u2728 (@Ashlee Woods \u2728) 1661822247
\u201cI know Laverne Cox is cocky as hell right now \ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23 and should be cuz if I got mistaken for Beyonce on national television I would never shut up\u201d— Noelle Silva Stan Account (@Noelle Silva Stan Account) 1661852251
\u201cLaverne stepping out of the house now that people got her confused with Beyonc\u00e9\u201d— Drip Intravenous (@Drip Intravenous) 1661821987
\u201c@Lavernecox @serenawilliams I know you\u2019ve received a lot of accolades, but surely being mistaken for Beyonc\u00e9 is up there!!\u201d— Laverne Cox (@Laverne Cox) 1661823986
\u201cIs this #LaverneCox channeling her inner #Beyonc\u00e9? Anyway, we love a health-aware queen \ud83d\udc4f #USOpen\u201d— Jeniffer L. Estrada (@Jeniffer L. Estrada) 1661821707
\u201cThat is Laverne Cox!\u201d— Childish African (@Childish African) 1661828050
\u201cLaverne Cox sitting comfortably in those stands at the #USOpen & got folks thinking she\u2019s Beyonce & whole time Beyonce over in Croatia vacationing like no tmrw..\u201d— Rachel. (@Rachel.) 1661821781
Williams announced this season of tennis will be her last.
She will proceed to the next round in the U.S. Open on Wednesday after besting Kovinic last night.
No doubt Beyoncé was cheering her on, even if not from the stadium.
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