On Monday night, a slew of celebrities looked on as Serena Williams completed her first-round U.S. Open match — and possibly final pro tournament. Stars spotted included Queen Latifah, Coco Gauff, Offset, Bella Hadid, Bill Clinton and Anna Wintour. Though it wouldn’t be a stretch for Beyoncé to be in attendance, she was absent.
However, that didn’t stop a fan from tweeting that she was there. “#Beyonce at the #USOpen,” tweeted the account @Choni, alongside a video of a Black woman with long hair and a face mask sitting in the audience.
However, fans quickly declared that it wasn’t Queen Bey but actress and Emmy winner Laverne Cox. Needless to say, Cox was flattered and expressed her gratitude for the mixup on Instagram. She even reposted the video.
“Not me getting mistaken for @Beyonce at the #USOpen tonight then trending on Twitter as the internet cackles over the mistaken identity,” she wrote. “These tweets are funny as hell. Enjoy!!!”
Cox has stated before that she is a huge fan of the singer. Hours before the match, she shared a video of herself getting ready for the U.S. Open with Bey playing in the background. Cox also impersonated Beyoncé in an unforgettable Lip Sync Battle performance.
The user who posted the viral tweet cleared up his confusion. “My bad.. I wasn’t trying to be funny I promise,” he wrote. “I got to excited to see #Beyoncé and though it was her my bad.. it’s @Lavernecox.” In the end, Williams defeated her opponent but writer David Dennis Jr. declared Cox the second biggest winner of the evening.
“Laverne Cox ... was mistaken for Beyoncé all night,” he tweeted. “Which is a career highlight for literally anyone.”