Rihanna Will Headline the Super Bowl 2023 Halftime Show
It’s official: Rihanna will be the headlining performer for the Super Bowl LVII (57) halftime show in February 2023.
Though fans have been speculating online for months as to who the 2023 event’s performer will be, the Savage X Fenty founder confirmed it herself through a nonchalant Instagram post on Sunday afternoon. Prominently featuring her signature tattooed hand vertically holding an NFL-branded football, the Grammy Award-winning mogul’s post — gaining over 3 million likes within hours of going live — was simply captioned with a single period.
News of Rihanna’s headlining performance was further solidified from other sports networks’ reposting of the same image, including ESPN, on social media. The NFL (National Football League) itself also received a Rihanna makeover, humorously changing its social media bios to “National Fenty League” — a new ongoing joke spawned by Rihanna’s Super Bowl affiliation, stemming from her birth name “Robyn Rihanna Fenty” — along with tags for both Rihanna and Apple Music.
Rihanna’s appointment as the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show act was met with massive fanfare on social media — particularly from celebrities, including LeBron James and Halle Bailey. The announcement followed Saturday night speculation that Taylor Swift could be headlining the 2023 Halftime Show; it also follows Rihanna’s rejection of the 2019 opportunity (which went to Maroon 5, supported by Travis Scott and Big Boi), due to her support for Colin Kaepernick’s viral #TakeAKnee movement. The performance will notably be her first live show in five years.
The 2023 Super Bowl, also known as Super Bowl LVII, marks the 2022 NFL season. The event will take place at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on February 12, 2023, and be televised by Fox. The event will notably be sponsored by Apple Music — replacing Pepsi. No announcements have been made as to who will perform the National Anthem, or which brands will release commercials during the occasion — one of the more humorous and viral parts of the program, which has created viral moments for brands including Planet Fitness, T-Mobile, Sabra, Hellmann’s and Calvin Klein.
The Super Bowl Halftime Show is regarded as a top honor for musicians to headline during their careers, often featuring multi-song sets of their greatest hits; recent years have also seen the appearances of supporting musical acts, as well. Recent Halftime Show leads have included Mary J. Blige and Dr. Dre, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, The Weeknd, Maroon 5, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga and Coldplay. Past supporting performers have also included 50 Cent, Bad Bunny, Travis Scott, Mark Ronson, Lenny Kravitz, Missy Elliott and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.