Dionne Warwick Aces Her Response to Being Misidentified as Gladys Knight at 2022 U.S. Open

After mistaking Dionne Warwick for Gladys Knight during the U.S. Open, sports commentator Chanda Rubin offered an explanation behind her misidentification.

By Mike Vulpo Sep 01, 2022 5:37 PMTags
Watch: Beyonce Narrates Commercial Honoring Serena Williams

The U.S. Open is serving up some unexpected controversy.

Earlier this week, sports commentators Mary Carillo and Chanda Rubin were providing insight into Serena Williams' match against Anett Kontaveit at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

But in between the match, the cameras panned to the audience, where a few famous faces including Dionne Warwick were cheering on Serena. Things got complicated, however, when Mary referred to the legendary singer as Gladys Knight, who was also in attendance at the match. 

After the clip went viral on social media, Chanda explained what led to the misidentification.

"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..." she wrote on Twitter. "Mistake was immediately corrected." 

As for what Dionne thinks of all the chatter off the court, she appeared to have a good sense of humor about it when she shared a message online.

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"Hi, I'm Gladys Knight…" she wrote on Twitter Aug. 31. "And instead of taking that midnight train to Georgia, I won't walk on by but will say a little prayer for you."

Gladys would also comment on Twitter writing, "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. It was a blessing to be in the house to see Serena's greatness." 

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The U.S. Open continues to bring the star power as celebs from movies, TV, music and the sporting world watch the best tennis players compete for the Grand Slam title.

Gigi Hadid and her sister Bella Hadid were spotted in the Emirates Suite of the U.S. Open on Aug. 31 while Tiger Woods joined Venus Williams in Serena's personal box at the tournament.

And although NBA player LeBron James couldn't attend any games in person, he cheered on Serena from his couch and urged her to "keep going" on Instagram before adding the goat emoji.

Back on Aug. 9, Serena penned a personal essay for Vogue where the tennis champion announced she's saying goodbye to the sport after one last tournament. In her announcement, the 40-year-old said she wants to focus on her venture capital firm and expand her family with husband Alexis Ohanian and their 4-year-old daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. 

Before she returns to the court Sept. 2 for another singles match, keep scrolling to see all the star power cheering on Serena and the U.S. Open players.

Ciara & Russell Wilson

The two cheer on their friend Serena Williams in her third-round match against Ajla Tomljanovic. Serena lost the game, believed to be the final pro tennis match of her career.

Ben Simmons

The NBA star arrives at the U.S. Open to watch Serena Williams play what ended up being her likely final match.

Retta & Kal Penn

Hollywood's biggest stars have some fun in the Heineken suite at the US Open Tennis Championships.

Valentina Ferrer

The fashion model wears Polo Ralph Lauren to the U.S. Open while visiting the Ralph Lauren suite on Labor Day. 

Gayle King

The TV personality cheers on Serena Williams.

Ciara & Russell Wilson

The two watch their friend Serena Williams in her match against Ajla Tomljanovic.

Bella Hadid

The model gets emotional watching Serena Williams face off against Ajla Tomljanovic in a third-round match.

Ashley Graham

The model takes a pic of Serena Williams facing off against Ajla Tomljanovic in a third-round match.

Spike Lee & P.K. Subban

The director and hockey player watch Serena Williams face off against Ajla Tomljanovic in a third-round match.

Gigi Hadid
Eli Brown
Zendaya
Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor
Offset, Bella Hadid, Marc Kalman
Anna Wintour
Ashley Graham
Rebel Wilson, Ramona Agruma
Bill Clinton
Lindsey Vonn
Hugh Jackman, Anthony Anderson
Gayle King
Queen Latifah
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