Who is Kai Cenat? All you need to know about Serena Williams' special appearance on the Twitch star's livestream
Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam singles winner and cultural icon, recently appeared on superstar streamer Kai Cenat's "MAFIATHON 2" live stream. The streamer, who initially became famous on Twitch, has been in the spotlight recently, breaking records.
The American tennis legend joined Cenat's stream this week, much to the delight of the hundreds of thousands of people watching live. Cenat began his live stream on November 1 in an attempt to break streamer Ironmouse's current subscriber record of 306,620 subscribers on the platform. He has since been streaming live 24/7 without any breaks or stoppages. It was on the stream that he learned about his ongoing Mafiathon 2 stream being nominated for the Best Marathon Stream at the Streamer Awards 2024.
Williams' appearance on Kai Cenat's stream marks an unprecedented crossover between the worlds of tennis and gaming. However, it is not the first time a celebrity has joined the stream, with Lil Uzi Vert and Kodak Black appearing on it before the former World No. 1.
The stream titled, "The Not Not A Big Mac Stream," refers to the streamer's prior collaboration with McDonald's in October 2024, when he reacted to the American fast food giant's latest addition to their menu, the Chicken Big Mac. The crossover announces a limited-time offer, including a Chicken Big Mac.
Serena Williams and Kai Cenat both have Nike as a sponsor. Cenat was featured during the launch of Nike's first-ever pre-order sneaker, "Low Poly".
The duo first exchanged hellos, after which Cenat explained to the 41-time Grand Slam winner that he was on 24/7 live stream for 30 straight days. This included cam zones as his viewers saw him eat, sleep, and shower, much to the celebrated sportsperson's surprise.
Williams then asked,
"Are you just shutting off for like a day?"
To which the streamer replied as Williams laughed,
"I might shut off and then I might come right back. I don't know."
Though Williams retired in 2022, the American remains a celebrated icon of the game with 23 Major singles titles. A legend of the sport, Williams still occasionally appears in exhibition and invitational matches. She continues to be a role model off the court through her work with Serena Ventures and various other social causes. She is also a cultural personality, having appeared at the 2024 Met Gala, amongst many other social events.
Kai Cenat broke the subscriber record on Twitch on the day Serena Williams appeared on his stream
The American's unique and energetic personality has made him a fan favorite, earning him the Streamer of the Year award in 2022 and 2023. He has received an unprecedented five nominations for the Streamer Awards 2024.
Streamer QTCinderella announced his nomination during the stream:
"The last nominee for Streamer of the Year, a fifth one to wrap out our show. It's the first time on the show that anybody has been nominated in five categories with an extraordinary year, and the nominee is Kai Cenat!"
Cenat finally managed to break the viewer count on the 11th day of streaming, the same evening as when Williams appeared on the stream, as he amassed more than 326,988 subscribed viewers on his stream. Former record holder IronMouse congratulated the 22-year-old streamer on his own Twitch channel, hoping Cenat can get a million subscribed viewers one day.
IronMouse said,
"Bro, if he makes it to a million subs, that's going to be f**king amazing! I bet he'd make it to a million! How much do you want to bet? He hasn't even done the whole month yet! He hasn't even done the whole month yet, bro. Yeah, he's only on day 11! That's f**king nuts! That's f**king insane."
The streamer has left a mark in the streaming world, and Williams' appearance on his stream has propelled him to the pinnacle of his field, much like the tennis star herself on the court.