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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
@JamesTate121/X
