espy awards
Serena Williams may have gotten the last laugh against Drake. On Thursday night (July 11), Williams hosted the 2024 ESPY Awards and, during her monologue, made a joke referencing the feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, where she poked fun at the OVO MC.
“If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that none of us, not a single one of us, not even me, should ever pick a fight with Kendrick Lamar,” quipped Williams before breaking out and dancing to Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” “He will make your hometown not like you. The next time Drake sits courtside at a Raptors game, they’re going to Forrest Gump him. Seats taken.”
In 2022, Drake fired shots at Williams’ husband and co-founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohanian, rapping on “Middle of the Ocean”: “Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie. “He claim we don’t got a problem but no, boo, it’s like you comin’ for sushi/ We might pop up on ’em at will like Suzuki.”
Trending on Billboard
Ohanian responded to the Her Loss track on social media: “The reason I stay winning is because I’m relentless about being the best at whatever I do – including being the best groupie for my wife & daughter.” Williams and Drake do have history, as it was reportedly rumored that the two dated in 2015.
Lamar also came to Serena’s defense on “Not Like Us” when he stood up for his fellow West Coast native. “I’m glad DeRoz’ came home, y’all didn’t deserve him neither / From Alondra down to Central, nigga better not speak on Serena,” he rapped.
Earlier this week, Williams spoke on “Not Like Us” and dubbed it the song of the summer. “I love that song. It’s like the hit of the summer,” she said. “When they play that jam, I’m jamming. That jam is jamming.”
Watch the video of Williams clowning on Drake at the 2024 ESPYs below.
[embedded content]
Ciara is set as the opening musical act on the 2024 ESPYS, which will air live on the East Coast on ABC on Thursday (July 11) at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The Grammy-winning R&B singer is married to a superstar athlete – NFL quarterback Russell Wilson.
Ciara and Serena Williams, host of this year’s ESPYS, did a social collab on Instagram to announce Ciara’s involvement. The ESPYS, presented by Capital One, will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Ciara has amassed eight top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Goodies” (featuring Petey Pablo), which logged seven weeks at No. 1 in 2004. She has notched four top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, including Ciara: The Evolution, which debuted at No. 1 in 2006.
Trending on Billboard
Flau’Jae Johnson, rapper and NCAA college basketball player at Louisiana State University, is also set to perform on the show.
Lil Wayne and H.E.R. performed on last year’s ESPYS.
GloRilla is set to present on this year’s show, along with such actors and comedians as Quinta Brunson, Nikki Glaser, Rob Lowe, Colman Domingo, Daisy Ridley and Brian Tyree Henry and many top athletes.
As previously announced, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex will be awarded with the Pat Tillman Award for Service; former NFL safety Steve Gleason will be given the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage; and University of South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley will be honored with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.
The ESPYS are co-produced by ESPN and Full Day Productions. The ESPYS help to raise awareness and funds for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, the charity founded by ESPN and the late basketball coach Jim Valvano at the first ESPYS back in 1993. ESPN has helped raise more than $200 million for the V Foundation over the past 30 years.
See the announcement about Ciara being the opening musical act at the ESPYs below:
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Hosted by Serena Williams, the 2024 ESPY Awards (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards) honors the best and brightest in sports with superstar nominees, including Patrick Mahomes, Shohei Ohtani, Caitlin Clark, Coco Gauff, A’ja Wilson, Myles Garrett and others.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The ESPYS takes place at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday, July 11. Check out a complete list of categories and nominees on the ESPY’s website.
What Time Is the 2024 ESPY Awards?
The 2024 ESPYS airs on Thursday, July 11, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The awards ceremony broadcasts on ABC.
Where to Watch The 2024 ESPY Awards for Free
If you’re a cord-cutter, then there are a number of ways to watch the ESPYS without cable — especially if you want to watch for free. For example: DirecTV Stream offers a 5-day free trial to try out the streaming service, while others like Fubo and Hulu + Live TV offer free trials too, so you can watch ABC without spending money up front.
Trending on Billboard
Keep reading for more details on how to watch the 2024 ESPYS on ABC with DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV and others.
How to Watch The 2024 ESPY Awards on DirecTV Stream
A subscription to DirecTV Stream gets you access to live TV, local and cable channels, starting at $69.99 per month for the first 24 months of services ($84.99 per month afterwards). The service even offers a five-day free trial to watch for free, if you sign up now.
You can watch local networks such as ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and PBS, while you can also watch many cable networks, including FX, AMC, A&E, Bravo, Cartoon Network, ESPN, FS1, VH1, Fuse, CNN, Food Network, Lifetime, CNBS, BET, MTV, Paramount Network and many others.
How to Watch The 2024 ESPY Awards on Fubo
Fubo starts at $79.99 per month with nearly 200 channels — including local and cable — that are streamable on smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and on web browsers. And with a seven-day free trial, you can watch for free, if you act fast and sign up now.
The services gets you live access to local broadcast networks including ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox, while it also has dozens of cable networks, such as FX, Bravo, TLC, ESPN, E!, FS1, MTV, CMT, ID, Ion, OWN, Paramount Network, TV Land, VH1 and much more.
How to Watch The 2024 ESPY Awards on Hulu + Live TV
The broadcast network ABC is available to watch with Hulu + Live TV too. Prices for the cable alternative start at $76.99 per month, while each plan comes with Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ at no additional cost.
Hulu + Live TV might be best for those who want all of these streaming services together in one package. It also features many other networks, like CBS, NBC, Fox, BET, CMT, Disney Channel, ESPN, Hallmark Channel and more.
More Ways to Watch
If you’re overseas and you’d like to stream the ESPYS internationally, you can sign up for a VPN, such as ExpressVPN, NordVPN and PureVPN, which lets you access a number of streaming platforms, like the ones mentioned above — legally.
The 2024 ESPY Awards broadcasts on ABC on Thursday, July 11, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. One of the best ways to watch the awards ceremony is with DirecTV Stream.
Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.
-
Pages