Laverne Cox Was Mistaken For Beyoncé at the US Open
Actor Laverne Cox is one of the many celebrities who has stopped by the 2022 US Open to watch Serena Williams play for one last time. While Cox was wearing a mask at the game, she was mistaken for Beyoncé on social media, leading to a flurry of responses, including one from Cox herself.
Laverne Cox went to the US Open to watch Serena Williams
In August 2022, Cox shared a video of herself on Instagram as she was getting ready to go to the US Open. She was going to the tennis tournament in New York City to support Serena Williams in her last tournament before she retires.
“Ready to go celebrate the #GOAT Serena Williams at the Us Open tonight,” the Orange Is the New Black star captioned the post. “Go Serena!!!” The video was soundtracked by “Pure/Honey,” the penultimate track on Beyoncé’s album Renaissance, released a month before.
Laverne Cox was mistaken for Beyoncé
Actor and producer Choni Francis saw Cox on TV in the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The actor was wearing a mask, obscuring most of her face. Francis mistakenly believed that it was Beyoncé in the stands.
“#Beyoncé at the #USOpen,” Francis wrote in a tweet. He soon realized his mistake, tweeting, “My bad… I wasn’t trying to be funny, I promise.” He then corrected himself in another tweet. “I got too excited to see Beyoncé and though it was her,” he said. “My bad… it’s Laverne Cox.”
Cox responded
When Cox herself got wind of the jokes circulating on Twitter, she thought it was hilarious, and shared a few posts on her Instagram.
“Not me getting mistaken for Beyoncé at the US Open tonight then trending on Twitter as the internet cackles over the mistaken identity,” she wrote in the caption. “These tweets are funny as hell. Enjoy!!! Go Serena Williams #GOAT.”
Beyoncé and Serena Williams are friends
Meanwhile, Beyoncé herself is friends with tennis superstar Serena Williams. She and Jay-Z have been spotted at Wimbledone and the US Open watching Williams during her matches.
For her part, Williams was grateful for the support. “It’s great to have Beyoncé and Jay-Z supporting,” she said in a 2016 interview with E! News. “It’s always wonderful to see them at tennis and it’s always good when you can just rely on someone and know that they’re always in your corner whether they are there or not and that’s kind of how it is with us.”
Williams starred in the music video for Beyoncé’s hit 2016 single “Sorry.”
