Tennis superstar Serena Williams made her second consecutive appearance at the Super Bowl – following her cameo “Crip Walk” dance during Kendrick Lamar’s half-time performance – but at this year’s event, she was starring in a weightloss advertisement.
Williams was advertising a provider of weight loss injections, a telehealth company called Ro, at Super Bowl LX on Sunday.
Ro, which diagnoses patients, prescribes and delivers treatment and care while also offering a variety of weight loss medications, also has Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian as an investor and board member.
The 44-year-old mother-of-two appeared on the 30-second advertisement injecting herself with a GLP-1 medication, which she attributes to her 30-pound weight loss.
“Healthier on Ro, supported on Ro, FDA approved GLP-1 options – now even in a pill. Weight loss expertise I trust,” she said.
“I’m moving better on Ro. I’m feeling better on Ro. I’m Serena Williams, this is me on Ro.”
Dancing to a high-energy soundtrack on a bright blue background stage, Williams shared that she lost 34 pounds (about 15 kg) over the course of a year using GLP-1.
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Backlash from viewers
However, the 23-time Grand Slam champion’s appearance on the advertisement left a bitter taste in audiences’ mouths.
Many called her push for the drug “disgusting” and insensitive to impressionable viewers, labelling the ad particularly “inappropriate” for a massive, family-oriented televised event.
One enraged user wrote on X: “Serena Williams injects herself with a GLP-1 weight loss dr*g as millions watch the Super Bowl…I miss the days when the Super Bowl sold beer & trucks. Pushing Big Pharma weight loss injections while impressionable children watch feels wrong.”
More skepticism arose due to Williams’ husband’s stake in the telehealth company, with some speculating that she appeared on the ad only for financial reasons.
“I don’t have any problem with using GLP-1’s but I hate when commercials are misleading… Her husband is an investor in Ro,” said a user on X.
Serena’s weight loss journey
Speaking on the Oprah Podcast last month, Williams shared that she began using weight loss injections following her struggle to lose weight after her two pregnancies.
Despite her initial skepticism, thinking of GLP-1 jabs as a “shortcut”, Williams ultimately felt like nothing else would work to lose weight, especially after her first child.
The tennis player said that while training for her last competition in 2022 she failed to lose weight despite spending eight hours a day in the gym.
“I might have even gained weight. It was incredible how my body looked even though I was putting in hours and hours of training,” she said.
She emphasised how weight problems affect professional athletes too, stating: “I felt it’s so important to tell my story as a lot of people can relate to that.”
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Anna Ferraz