Like many celebrities, Serena Williams attended the Super Bowl in February. She even made a surprise appearance during Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance. One thing Serena did not do, however, was approach pop star Taylor Swift — even though she really wanted to at first.
Initially, Serena had a plan.
During the Super Bowl, the former tennis champion and her husband Alexis Ohanian planned on taking their eldest daughter, Olympia, to get Taylor Swift’s autograph. While it seemed like the perfect opportunity at first, Serena later realized she should probably ask for Taylor’s autograph some other time — not when Taylor’s boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, is playing football (and losing).
“It’s hard when your team is losing,” Serena told Time magazine, explaining why she decided to let Taylor be. “I totally get it.”
Serena admitted that she’s ‘such a mom’ for acting like that.
Getting Taylor’s autograph for Olympia was clearly Serena’s priority during that moment. “I’m such a mom,” she told Time. “I was ready to go in here myself and be like, ‘Taylor, come get this girl.'”
Later in the interview, she explained that she and her husband are “so in a different space.” “We’re so connected, we’re so in love, we’re just, like, trying to get our daughter Taylor Swift autographs,” she told the publication. “And nothing else.”
The tennis star also had a message for Taylor’s haters.
I love you @taylorswift13 dont listen to those booo!!
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) February 9, 2025
In addition to dealing with the fact that her boyfriend’s team, the Kansas City Chiefs, lost the Super Bowl this year, Taylor also had to cope with being booed by people in the audience. Serena would like to know why.
“Why would you boo her?” Serena questioned when speaking to Time. “That’s so mean. That’s just awful.”
It’s not the first time Serena has spoken up in defense of Taylor. On February 9, Serena shared a sweet message with Taylor via X. “I love you @taylorswift13 dont listen to those booo!!” she wrote at the time.
Meanwhile, others continued to bash Taylor after the Super Bowl — including President Donald Trump.
When the game was over, Trump took to social media to criticize Taylor. “The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift,” he wrote at the time. “She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!”
Commentator Megyn Kelly, who also attended the Super Bowl, criticized the pop star on social media as well. She posed for a photo with Trump and captioned it with, “Saw Taylor Swift in the next box … eh … and then I spent time with a true winner. Thank you Mr. President!” In another post, she wrote, “Taylor Swift next to us at the Super Bowl — should I go strike up a chat on Trump, Tim Walz and Blake Lively v Baldoni?”
Like Serena, Megyn Kelly also claimed to have avoided Taylor at the Super Bowl, but for a totally different reason.
On her show, Megyn told viewers that she “almost walked in on Taylor Swift in the bathroom” but was “really glad that” she didn’t.
