8 Iconic Pop Stars Have Declined Super Bowl Halftime Show

by The Spun
8 Iconic Pop Stars Have Declined Super Bowl Halftime Show

MADRID, SPAIN - MAY 29: EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO BOOK COVERS Taylor Swift performs on stage during Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on May 29, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Xavi Torrent/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management )

Xavi Torrent/TAS24/Getty Images

Super Bowl 60 is less than six hours away.

The New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks will kick off at 6:30 p.m. E.T. on Sunday night. It should be a fun one. Of course, fans are looking forward to the Super Bowl 60 halftime show, too, featuring Bad Bunny.

"What I'm feeling goes beyond myself," Bad Bunny said in a statement. "It's for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown... this is for my people, my culture, and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL."

But while Bad Bunny is one of the most iconic figures in pop culture right now, some notable stars have turned down the halftime show.

Bad Bunny performs at Bridgestone Arena for his “Most Wanted Tour” in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, May 11, 2024.

© Stephanie Amador / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Over the years, the NFL has approached several iconic pop stars about performing for the Super Bowl.

Eight iconic pop stars have declined Super Bowl halftime show invites

The eight iconic pop stars have declined it:

  • Adele
  • Pink
  • Jay-Z
  • Taylor Swift
  • Outkast
  • Cardi B
  • Dolly Parton
  • Backstreet Boys

Adele was among those to speak out against it.

"First of all, I'm not doing the Super Bowl. I mean, come on, that show is not about music. And I don't really — I can't dance or anything like that. They were very kind, they did ask me, but I said no," she said, after the British tabloid The Sun reported on rumors of her performing.

Jay-Z, meanwhile, was offered the show, but only if he brought Kanye and Rihanna, too: "That is not how you go about it, telling someone that they're going to do the halftime show contingent on who they bring. I said, 'Forget it.' It was a principle thing."

Taylor Swift didn't want to perform because of who her boyfriend is.

"Can you imagine if he's out there, every single week, doing this very dangerous, very high-pressure, high-intensity sport and I'm like: 'I wonder what my choreography should be,'" she said.

Who would you like to see perform?

Published:
by The Spun