Tennis icon Serena Williams has found herself at the center of a heated controversy following the airing of her Super Bowl commercial on Sunday.
During the broadcast, the 44-year-old sports legend appeared in an advertisement promoting GLP-1 weight-loss medications, claiming the drugs played a key role in her dramatic physical transformation.
In the commercial, Williams partnered with telehealth company Ro, an official collaborator she joined last year. But instead of praise, the ad unleashed a wave of criticism from fans who were stunned to see one of the greatest athletes of all time endorsing prescription weight-loss treatments.
Williams has previously spoken openly about struggling with weight loss after retiring from professional tennis and giving birth to her second child. She now claims she lost nearly 30 pounds in a year with the help of GLP-1 supplements.
The commercial, which aired during the first half of the New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks game, shows Serena administering an injection and placing a new order through Ro’s mobile app. The company also revealed plans for a pill version of the medication.
In the video, Williams credits the drug with more than just weight loss, saying it helped:
- reduce pressure on her knee joints
- stabilize blood sugar levels
- lower cholesterol
But many fans were far from convinced.
Viewers had expected Serena’s Super Bowl appearance to hint at a potential return to tennis or a powerful legacy moment, not an endorsement of what critics call ‘weight-loss injections.’ Social media erupted almost instantly.
On X (formerly Twitter), reactions ranged from disappointment to outright outrage:
- ‘Serena Williams promoting weight-loss drugs is disgusting.”
- ‘If the greatest tennis player of all time needs Ozempic, we’re doomed.’
- ‘This is absolutely not what I expected to see from Serena at the Super Bowl.’
Some labeled the ad ‘shameful,’ others called it ‘deeply disturbing,’ while several users admitted they watched it ‘with their eyes half-closed from embarrassment.’
Adding fuel to the fire, fans quickly pointed out a major conflict-of-interest detail: Serena’s husband, tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, is an investor in Ro and sits on the company’s board of directors.