Roc Nation struggles to book the Super Bowl LXI halftime show, a report says

With less than five months to go, Roc Nation and the NFL are reportedly struggling to sign anyone for the Super Bowl LXI halftime show at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. A source described as close to Jay-Z and the league told the Daily Mail that organisers are "having a hard time locking anyone down," and floated the possibility of several performers sharing the slot, with Jay-Z himself stepping in alongside guests if no headliner can be secured.

The reluctance, according to that source, is less about the workload than about what follows. Bad Bunny's 2026 halftime set became a target for President Donald Trump, who Reuters reported called the performance absolutely terrible after having already criticised the choice of him. A slot watched by the largest television audience of the American year now comes with the chance of being argued about for months afterwards.

The second deterrent named in the report is closer to home for musicians. Macklemore was removed from the remaining US dates of Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour after pro-Palestinian statements at MetLife Stadium, and said New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft had rallied other NFL stadium owners against him. Kraft confirmed he would not permit Macklemore to perform at Gillette Stadium. Sheeran has maintained the decision was made by venues and the promoter rather than by him, and FINNEAS, Lukas Graham and other openers left the tour in protest.

The economics do not help. Roc Nation has advised the NFL on talent for its biggest performances since 2019, and the halftime show has never carried a meaningful appearance fee; the league covers production and expenses and the exposure is supposed to do the rest. The Daily Mail source argued that no paycheque plus a real chance of political damage is a harder sell than it used to be. Other league bookings have gone more smoothly, from Soundgarden's reunion at the season opener to Ayra Starr headlining the NFL's London game.

Organisers had hoped to name the 2027 performer by the end of September, the source said, and an announcement could now be pushed as far as November. The NFL has not publicly confirmed that the search is in any difficulty, and Roc Nation is not quoted anywhere in the report; the byline rests on one anonymous source. Super Bowl LXI is on 14 February 2027, and whoever takes the stage will be doing it in the middle of the most contested year hip-hop and pop performers have had on that platform.