Gladys Knight; Dionne Warwick.Photo: Jean Catuffe/GC Images; Jean Catuffe/GC Images
Dionne WarwickandGladys Knightare taking a mix-up that went viral in stride — and cracking jokes along the way.
AtSerena Williams' US Openmatch against Anett KontaveitWednesday night, Warwick, 81, was shown on screen as sports commentators appeared to refer to her as fellow singer Knight, 78,creating a buzz online.
A camera had been scanning the stands while ESPN broadcasters Mary Carillo and Chanda Rubin named off some of the stars they could see in the audience supporting Williams.
“Gladys Knight!” Carillo said, as the camera showed Warwick, and Rubin agreed. However, it turned out Rubin was referring to whom she was seeing in the stands and not on the monitor.
“Too bad I was initially looking at the court (where Auntie Gladys was in the stands) and not our program monitor that showed Ms. Dionne…” Rubinwrote on Twitterfollowing the match. “Mistake was immediately corrected.” She concluded her tweet with a face-palm emoji.
Warwick poked fun at the misidentification on her Twitter account Thursday, sharing a cheeky message that used lyrics from both her and Knight’s most famous songs.
“Dionne and I have been sisters for a long time and I hope she is as honored to be mistaken for me as I would be her. I’m sure it was an honest mistake,” Knightwrote in her own Tweet. “It was a blessing to be in the house to see Serena’s greatness.”
Both women were in attendance at the match to cheer Williams on, and later shared tweets about the event.
“The true Queen of Tennis showed up and out last night. She is definitely the absolute BEST!#SerenaWilliams” Warwickwrote.
Knightposted a photo of herselfwith actor Anthony Anderson in the stands, writing “Having a ball at the#USOpen…. Great seeing you@anthonyanderson.”
Many other stars have been showing up to cheer for Williams, 41, who announcedin a first-person essay forVoguethat sheplans to step away from her 27-years-long professional tennis careerafter the tournament.
Hugh Jackmanand his wifeDeborra-Lee Furnessalso watched a match. Jackman, 53, shared a sweet photo of himself and Furness, 66, onInstagramon Monday.
“Off to the@usopento watch the one and only@serenawilliams. Serena — Deb and I are so excited to watch you play and bear witness to your evolution for many years to come. You are an icon and a true inspiration to boys and girls around the world,” he wrote, adding the fitting hashtag “#GOAT.”
Serena Williams.Jamie Squire/Getty
Zendaya was also in attendance, ahead of her 26th birthday Friday.
source: people.com
