Stephen A. Smith defended his assertion that he would divorce Serena Williams over her Super Bowl appearance by essentially stating, ‘it’s not her, it’s me.’ To recap, Williams made a brief appearance in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday evening during the song Not Like Us, a diss track aimed at his rival, Drake. This appearance attracted significant attention, not solely due to her dance moves but also because she was romantically linked to Drake over a decade ago. Knowing this context, Smith boldly claimed he would divorce Williams for still appearing to antagonize her ex. On the latest episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, he justified this stance, indicating it reflects more about him than her.
“I didn’t utter a disrespectful word toward Serena Williams,” Smith stated. “So I don’t know where the whole Serena protection protocol kicks in. I didn’t say anything about her…What I expressed is exactly what I meant. I’m not apologizing for it. I’m not condoning it either.” He continued, “Some men are insecure. Now that’s breaking news supposedly! I kinda thought y’all automatically knew that. Me and the men that I know, most men, we’re a bit insecure. When we see energy expressed in the direction of another dude—regardless of whether it’s vitriol, venom, hate, or revenge—we think, ‘my woman wouldn’t have any time to be expending any kind of energy like that because she’s happy with me.’”
However, this was the Super Bowl, an event that drew over 130 million viewers. While Williams’ cameo may have been interpreted as a jab at her ex, it’s not fair to suggest she is fixated on getting back at Drake. It was the Super Bowl; how could she reasonably say no to that?
