The Super Bowl halftime show, like the football game itself, is more than 10 days away, and yet there’s already a controversy brewing about what will take place.
A group of elected officials in Louisiana sent a letter earlier this month to the organizations overseeing the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans, urging them to take care with the content of the halftime show in order to respect the state’s community decency standards.
“Out of respect for the taxpayers of Louisiana, we are asking each of you ... to use whatever means are at your disposal to ensure that this year’s Super Bowl halftime event is as family friendly as possible,” said the letter, which was also signed by a variety of faith- and family-focused organizations.
The letter highlights past halftime performances by Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Janet Jackson, whose shows sparked complaints to the Federal Communications Commission over sexual content.
The lawmakers behind the letter say they fear this year’s Super Bowl halftime show will create a similar scandal, despite taking place in a state that has worked to shelter children from explicit material.
“Considering the increasingly vile halftime performances at past Super Bowls, it can be reasonably anticipated that the halftime performance this year in New Orleans will be inappropriate for children to watch,” the letter said.
The signatories acknowledge that it’s too late to adjust the contract for this year’s Super Bowl, but say that future agreements should include guidance on the state’s community decency standards.
Super Bowl halftime show
Kendrick Lamar will be the featured Super Bowl halftime performer in New Orleans. He’s an award-winning hip-hop artist who previously performed at the 2022 Super Bowl alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and others, per USA Today.
One of the key questions raised by fans about his halftime show is not whether he’ll include sexually explicit material but whether he’ll reference his ongoing feud with Drake.
Lamar has released multiple diss tracks about Drake in recent months and Drake sued Lamar’s record label over one of them, USA Today reported.
Lamar is expected to be joined on stage by SZA.
When is the Super Bowl?
The 2025 Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will take place Sunday, Feb. 9, at 4:30 p.m. MST.
The game and halftime show will air on Fox.