Serena Williams Speaks Out After Husband Epically Claps Back At Her Super Bowl Critics

People always find something to criticize about the Super Bowl Halftime Show, and this year was no different.

One difference this year was that the primary performer, Kendrick Lamar, wasn't the only target of criticism; so was pro tennis player Serena Williams.

Back in 2012, Williams crip walked in celebration after winning a match against Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon. Because the dance was originally popularized by the 1970s Los Angeles gang "The Crips," Williams was accused at the time of not celebrating her win, but "glamorizing gang culture."

It seems only fitting that she would choose to do the crip walk again during Kendrick Lamar's performance of "Not Like Us," which is all about dismissing social standards and prejudices.

But because the song has been recognized as a slam against Drake, and since Williams allegedly dated Drake around 2015, some people assumed that she was crip walking not in protest or celebration, but to get revenge against an old flame.

Previously, ESPN announcer Stephen A. Smith criticized Williams for not being over Drake:

"If I'm married and my wife is going to join trolling her ex, go back to his a**, 'cause clearly you don't belong with me. What you worried about him for and you're with me? Bye. Bye!"

Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of The View, came for Smith's comments, stating that not every action a woman performs is because of a man. "Not Like Us" clearly became a part of a larger political protest that Lamar was hosting, and Williams wanted to be a part of that, not a long-awaited diss to Drake.

Serena Williams' husband, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, broke the silence, pointing out how much criticism his wife faced for crip walking back at Wimbledon. This was her way of taking her power back, plain and simple.

"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 music."

Jason Whitlock thought he could get in the last word by trying to cut down Ohanian's words.

"This is Serena's husband, a true beta. He's mad at me rather than the wife crip walking and still thinking about Drake. Simp."

But Ohanian quickly put a stop to that in a display that would make Redditors proud.

"I get it; you’re 57, and life didn’t turn out the way you imagined. That kind of disappointment must be exhausting."

"You’re the embodiment of peaked in high school, spending decades chasing validation from strangers through Likes and Digital Hugs, only to find that no amount of external approval fills the void. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone."

"Criticism only fuels your victim complex, reinforcing the comforting delusion that there's some grand conspiracy against you and your 'brave ideas;' when in reality, you've just got terrible takes. It’s a cycle: outrage, backlash, self-pity, repeat."

"This is a lonely road. There’s still time to rewrite the ending; start by working on yourself first. You'll find that if you wake up every morning trying to be a little better, a little more curious, you won't have time for irrational hating; you'll be too busy winning."

Viewers applauded Ohanian for his smart response.

But no one was more appreciative than Williams.

"That there my baby daddy and husband. Always got my back. I Love you."

"Gosh I’m so late to the game (I’ve been sick) & busy investing in billion dollar companies and running @WYNbeauty… def not dancing to be petty lol."

"I think I proved 23 times over (not counting 4 gold medals) that I simply don’t have time for petty. All love and respect always, nothing negative here."

Fans of Serena Williams applauded her, too, and encouraged her to keep dancing.

Maybe some women dance to prove an ex wrong and make him want her back, but that explanation would be entirely missing the point in William's case.