For seven years, Jay-Z’s job on the Super Bowl halftime show was to pick someone else to do it. Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, The Weeknd, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Usher and Bad Bunny all took the stage through his Roc Nation company’s partnership with the NFL. Now the rapper has picked himself.
The move was announced on Monday night at halftime of the Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys Monday Night Football game. Jay-Z will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Sunday, February 14, 2027.
The slot is one he had refused before. Sports Illustrated reports he previously turned down a 2017 offer, two years before his company signed on to produce the show.
In a statement released alongside the announcement, Jay-Z framed the moment as a career milestone that lined up with the 30th anniversary of his 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt.
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“From Reasonable Doubt to standing on the Super Bowl Halftime stage, this has been a journey. Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world’s biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true,” he said.
Goodell’s standing invitation
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the invitation had been open since Roc Nation signed on in 2019.
“When we first reached an agreement with Roc Nation to produce the show, I had just one request: that JAY-Z take the stage himself one day, whenever the moment felt right to him,” Goodell said.
Roc Nation posted the news on Instagram with the caption “GOAT’s out of the bag”, a nod to the fact that the executive who has effectively chosen Super Bowl headliners for seven years has now chosen himself.
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The most-watched slot in entertainment
The halftime show has grown into the single most-watched live music performance in the world, which is what makes the headliner choice carry weight.
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX performance in February 2026 drew an average of 128.2 million US viewers across the halftime window, and Apple Music said the show reached 4.157 billion global views across broadcast, YouTube and social platforms within 24 hours.
Even that total ranks only fourth on the all-time US halftime list. Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 show set the record at 133.5 million, with Michael Jackson’s 1993 performance just behind at 133.4 million, and Usher drawing 129.3 million in 2024.
Super Bowl LXI kicks off at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, February 14, 2027. The game will air on ESPN, ABC and Disney+, with mobile streaming on NFL+.
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