When you're the one choosing the Super Bowl halftime headliner, there's an obvious name on the list: your own. According to a new report, Jay-Z finally used it.
The Report
Puck's Dave Brooks reported Tuesday, citing multiple sources, that Jay-Z has picked himself to headline the Super Bowl LXI halftime show in Los Angeles in February. Brooks wrote that the pick had "long felt inevitable" and was more compelling than Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber, who were both considered.
There's a reason Jay-Z gets to choose. Since 2019, his company Roc Nation has curated and produced the halftime show under a deal with the NFL. Puck reports the deal is worth $5 million a year and was renewed in 2024. Every halftime show since 2020 has gone through that partnership, from Rihanna and Usher to Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny.
Not Official Yet
Here's the catch: nobody has confirmed it. Reps for the NFL and Roc Nation didn't respond to Puck's request for comment. Jay-Z hasn't addressed the report either. On Wednesday, Commissioner Roger Goodell also held off, telling reporters, "We haven't announced anything," according to WhyNFL.
Puck reports the formal announcement could come this weekend. Jay-Z plays two nearly sold-out shows at SoFi Stadium on Friday and Saturday, in the same building that will host the Super Bowl. The game is set for Feb. 14, 2027.
Why Now
The timing makes sense. The 56-year-old is in the middle of his 2026 anniversary run, celebrating 30 years of Reasonable Doubt and 25 years of The Blueprint. Puck reports he grossed more than $42 million across three sold-out shows at Yankee Stadium in July, played a sold-out Stade de France in Paris, and reunited the Fugees at his London shows. Brooks called that last one "the type of TV moment the Super Bowl halftime show is made for."
Then there's the obvious question: Beyoncé. She headlined the halftime show in 2013 and made a guest appearance during Coldplay's 2016 show. Fans are already hoping for a husband-and-wife moment.
Not Everyone's Hyped
Not everyone is sold. Puck noted that Jay-Z hasn't had a major hit since "Drunk in Love" in 2013 or released an album since 4:44 in 2017. Podcaster Joe Budden called the news "anticlimactic," and even Jimmy Fallon got in on the jokes.
https://twitter.com/XXL/status/2112936962651041847
Still, Bad Bunny's halftime show drew 128.2 million U.S. viewers and won seven Emmys, according to The Comeback, so the bar is high. Jay-Z has the catalog, the connections and the stage.
Our Take
Booking yourself for the Super Bowl is the most Jay-Z move ever. If the report is true, SoFi had better be ready for a greatest-hits night, and maybe a surprise guest or two.
Photo: everyskyline / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
