Report: Taylor Swift walked away from Super Bowl LX halftime show over ownership rights

Taylor Swift seemed like the prime choice to perform at halftime of Super Bowl LX. It didn’t come to fruition, as Bad Bunny was instead announced as the performer for Feb. 8 in Santa Clara.

According to the Sports Business Journal via British pop culture journalist Rob Shuter’s Substack, Swift reportedly walked away from the gig for various reasons: “The NFL ‘allegedly refused to give in to her demands.’ … A source said, ‘Taylor Swift doesn’t need exposure. She wanted a deal that reflected her value.’ Swift also sought control of the ‘performance footage,’ according to the report.”

Alas, it’s not hard to see why Swift wouldn’t want to do the Super Bowl halftime show unless the circumstances were perfect. The NFL doesn’t typically pay their performers for the halftime show, and Swift doesn’t exactly need the exposure. Truth be told, the Super Bowl may need her more than she needs the Super Bowl.

On the other hand, Bad Bunny is elated for the opportunity. When the time comes for him to take the stage, he’ll be hoping to put on a memorable show in front of the world.

“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” Bad Bunny said in a statement per the NFL. “It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL.”

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, the 31-year-old superstar out of Puerto Rico, is set to embark on an eight-month, 22-stop world tour beginning in November through the middle of next year in July of 2026. He hinted that he was going to have one date coming up in the United States — with that stop now know as it’ll be at Super Bowl LX.

“I’ve been thinking about it these days, and after discussing it with my team, I think I’ll do just one date in the United States,” he tweeted on Sunday, with a translation via Grok on X.

Moreover, Bad Bunny has become one of the biggest musicians in the world, with him performing latin music and reggaeton. That has led to millions of streams across multiple music platforms, as well as three wins at the Grammys in the United States on top of a dozen more at the Grammys in Latin America. That spotlight has now extended his resumé to film and fashion as well.

Taylor Swift fans might yearn for her to perform at the Super Bowl, but she’ll settle for being a spectator if her fiancé Travis Kielce makes it there once again with the Kansas City Chiefs. Bad Bunny gets the call for 2026. Perhaps Swift and the NFL will come to a deal in the future.

— On3’s Sam Gillenwater contributed to this article.