Super Bowl night featured thrilling sports action, electrifying music and lavish, star-studded commercials. One of those stars was tennis phenom Serena Williams — but judging by the reaction, viewers were not impressed by what she was trying to sell.
Ahead of the broadcast, excited rumors circulated that Williams, 44, was about to announce a comeback to professional tennis. The commercial ultimately delivered a different message: a weight-loss drug that she says changed her life.
In the ad, promoting a GLP-1 medication, Williams says she lost more than 13.5 kilograms (nearly 30 pounds) over the course of a year, and that the drug also helped address other health issues she had struggled with, including blood sugar levels, blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Williams has spoken about the medication before, explaining that she gained weight after giving birth to her two daughters — Alexis Olympia in 2017 and Adira River in 2023 — as well as with the onset of menopause. She began using the drug in 2024, after she finished breastfeeding her younger daughter.
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Serena Williams said she gained weight after the birth of her two daughters
(Photo: Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
Viewers appear to be largely uninterested in her personal story and flooded social media with angry and disappointed reactions. “Disgusting that she’s trying to push weight-loss drugs,” wrote one commenter. Another said, “If the greatest tennis player of all time is using Ozempic, we’re done for.” A third added, “Famous athlete Serena Williams trying to sell weight-loss drugs — that was not on my Super Bowl bingo card.” These were just a few of the responses circulating online.
Another user lashed out: “These ads are repulsive. They’re aimed not only at overweight people but also at people with healthy bodies. That’s why they used Serena Williams — to show that even an athlete who isn’t overweight uses it. It’s an appearance-driven drug that encourages unhealthy eating habits with a ‘quick fix.’ When will pharmaceutical advertising be banned?”
One commenter took a more personal turn, writing: “She used to look so good — what happened to her?”
Williams recently addressed the issue in an interview with People: “I couldn’t reach my target weight no matter what I tried or how much I worked out. It’s crazy, because I’ve never had to work this hard and eat this healthy and still not succeed. I’ve never taken shortcuts and I’ve always worked hard. I know what it takes to be the best. It’s frustrating to do everything the same way as always and still not be able to change the number on the scale or the way my body looks.”
Over the course of her illustrious career, Williams won 23 Grand Slam titles. She last competed in 2022 but has never formally announced her retirement. Recently, rumors of a potential comeback intensified after Adrian Bassett, a spokesperson for the International Tennis Integrity Agency, confirmed that Williams had requested to rejoin the drug-testing pool. “I don’t know if that means she’s coming back or if she’s simply giving herself the option,” he said. “All I can say is that she has rejoined the pool.”
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Serena Williams at the Met Gala
(Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Shortly afterward, Williams was asked directly about the speculation in an interview on the Today show, but declined to give a clear answer: “It’s not a yes, and it’s not a no. I don’t know — we’ll see what happens. I can’t talk about it.”
Active athletes are currently allowed to use weight-loss medications (excluding those containing stimulants). However, as of 2024 they have been included in the World Anti-Doping Agency’s monitoring program, which tracks usage patterns and examines whether the drugs provide an unfair advantage or pose health risks — and they could be banned in the future.