Broadcaster Mistakes Dionne Warwick for Gladys Knight

Both singers were in attendance at US Open
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 2, 2022 3:00 AM CDT
Dionne Warwick Mistaken for Gladys Knight at US Open
Gladys Knight performs at a special screening of "Summer of Soul" at The Richard Rodgers Amphitheater at Marcus Garvey Park on June 19, 2021, in New York.   (Photo by Jason Mendez/Invision/AP, File)

Gladys Knight and Dionne Warwick were both in attendance Wednesday night for Serena Williams' second round match at the US Open, and sports broadcaster and former tennis star Chanda Rubin apparently got them confused, identifying Warwick as Knight after her co-host, Mary Castillo, did. Eye-rolling abounded on social media, NBC News reports, with some pointing out the two iconic Black singers don't look alike. "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... mistake was immediately corrected," Rubin, who is also Black, tweeted.

Both singers seemed to take it in stride. "Hi, I’m Gladys Knight… and instead of taking that midnight train to Georgia, I won’t walk on by but will say a little prayer for you," Warwick tweeted. In a statement, Knight said, "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."

At Williams' first round match, social media users misidentified Laverne Cox, who was in the stands, as Beyonce, USA Today reports. The Orange Is the New Black star's response: "Not me getting mistaken for @Beyonce at the #USOpen tonight then trending on Twitter as the internet cackles over the mistaken identity. These tweets are funny as hell. Enjoy!!! Go @serenawilliams #GOAT #SerenaWilliams #Beyonce." (More US Open stories.)

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