Serena Williams Uses Super Bowl to Reframe Weight-Loss
Serena Williams Stars In Super Bowl GLP-1 Ad & Wishes She Took It While Playing
Serena Williams is no stranger to the Super Bowl advertising stage.
In a new commercial for telehealth company Ro, the tennis icon steps away from the usual celebrity gloss and instead walks viewers through how GLP-1 medication has affected her body. The spot highlights changes in her mobility, reduced strain on her joints, improved blood sugar levels, and cholesterol management—framing the message around physical performance and overall wellness rather than aesthetics.
“When an elite athlete like Serena Williams is having the same weight loss struggles as millions of other patients, then that is clear proof that weight loss was never about willpower,” Saman Rahmanian, Ro’s co-founder and chief product officer, told Variety. “So we decided to take that story as a narrative and tell it during the Super Bowl.”
This clearly is a little different from Williams’ previous Super Bowl partnerships with brands like Michelob Ultra and Rémy Martin. This time, the focus is squarely on health and function, using one of the most disciplined athletes of her generation to reframe how Americans think about weight management and medical support.
While Rahmanian wouldn’t say when the commercial will air during NBC’s Feb. 8 broadcast of Super Bowl LX, he did acknowledge the investment was substantial. Variety notes that thirty-second ad slots for the game are reportedly costing between $7 million and $10 million.
Williams’ involvement, however, comes with a personal connection. She is married to Alexis Ohanian, a Ro board member and investor, which may have smoothed the path to collaboration. Even so, Rahmanian believes her participation brings unmatched credibility, arguing that hearing her speak about medical weight-loss options carries a unique weight.
The Super Bowl spot is designed as the opening chapter of a broader “healthier on Ro” campaign. Alongside Williams, viewers will see Charles Barkley, who has spoken publicly about significant weight loss and reduced knee pain, as well as everyday users whose transformations range from completing a marathon to couples pursuing better health together.
In a recent interview with People, she said the jab has been life-changing and that she believes she’d have been even more dominant on the tennis court.
“It feels free. I always say I wish they had this when I was on tour. I would’ve been really amazing,” she said. “I just feel like I’m at my healthiest. And that’s not something I could say even when I was a professional athlete.”
Serena Williams Stars In Super Bowl GLP-1 Ad & Wishes She Took It While Playing was originally published on cassiuslife.com
