Jay-Z to headline Super Bowl halftime show after selecting himself

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 28 Oct, 06:33 · Archive

Jay-Z, who oversees the NFL's halftime show through his Roc Nation company, has selected himself to perform at Super Bowl 61.

Jay-Z will headline the Super Bowl 61 halftime show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Valentine's Day 2026. The announcement came during halftime of a Monday Night Football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.

Jay-Z's Roc Nation signed a five-million-dollar-a-year deal with the NFL in 2019 to oversee the halftime show, a contract renewed in 2024. Since taking charge, he has selected artists including Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny to perform.

His decision to perform himself drew criticism from some football fans, who posted memes mocking the choice on social media. However, Jay-Z has dismissed concerns about the performance's pressure. When asked by TMZ about potentially feeling under pressure, the 25-time Grammy Award winner smiled and laughed, saying there was 'no pressure involved'. He added that preparing for the show would be 'same as always'.

SoFi Stadium will host its second Super Bowl halftime show. The venue previously hosted Super Bowl 56, which featured performances by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, with guest appearances by 50 Cent and Anderson.Paak. Since then, Rihanna, Usher, Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny have performed at the halftime show.

How it is being reported

• Jay-Z shrugs off Super Bowl halftime pressure with bold responseDuring halftime of the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys matchup on Monday Night Football, the NFL announced that Jay-Z would be performing the halftime show for Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium. With the pressure of playing one of the biggest live televised performances on national TV, the 25-time Grammy Award-winning artist isn’t phased by...New York Post · 28 Oct, 03:36
• Jay-Z brushes off NFL fans backlash as he insists he feels no pressure after picking himself for Super Bowl halftime showFollowing weeks of speculation, it was announced on Monday night that the rapper, 56, had selected himself to headline the big game at the end of the 2026 NFL season.Daily Mail Sport · 28 Oct, 00:17
• Jay-Z selects himself to headline Super Bowl halftime showSuper Bowl halftime show producer Jay-Z has selected himself to headline the upcoming event. Steven Horowitz, senior music writer at Variety, joins "The Daily Report."CBS News · 27 Oct, 23:24

In this story: Jay-Z · NFL · Roc Nation · SoFi Stadium · Los Angeles · Rihanna · Kendrick Lamar · Bad Bunny

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log