Report: Jay-Z ‘selects himself’ for Super Bowl 2027 Halftime Show

Published: 11:47 EDT, 20 October 2026 | Updated: 11:47 EDT, 20 October 2026

Jay-Z has reportedly selected himself to perform this season’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. The iconic rapper, 56, signed a $5 million-a-year deal with the NFL to oversee the music spectacle in 2019, which was renewed in 2024, and has since selected the likes of Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny. But, according to a report by Puck News, Jay-Z will hand the honor of performing this season’s show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on February 14 to himself. When contacted by the Daily Mail on Tuesday morning, Roc Nation declined to comment on the record. The NFL also declined to comment and reiterated that it only shares official confirmation when the announcement is made. The Daily Mail first reported that Jay-Z, who is married to and shares three children with Beyonce, was considering himself for the Halftime Show on September 18, something which Roc Nation and the NFL furiously denied at the time. Rumors had previously suggested Jay-Z and Roc Nation were considering Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Harry Styles for one of America’s most iconic gigs.

Billionaire Jay-Z boasts a vast catalog of iconic hits to choose from and he is currently on the road celebrating the 30th anniversary of his album ‘Reasonable Doubt’ and the 25th anniversary of ‘The Blueprint’. In fact, he is due to play at SoFi Stadium twice this week. Earlier this summer, the 25-time Grammy winner grossed more than $42 million over the course of three sold-out shows at Yankee Stadium. He also headlined Roots Picnic in Philadelphia and played to huge crowds in Paris and London. While Jay-Z has never performed at the Super Bowl, wife Beyonce did so at the 2013 Super Bowl in New Orleans.

She also returned as a special guest with Bruno Mars during Coldplay’s performance in 2016 in Santa Clara. Jay-Z hasn’t released an album since ‘4:44’ in 2017, which went double-platinum. Last year’s Bad Bunny halftime show, the first not performed in English, generated huge debate and controversy which led to Jay-Z discussing the process behind choosing each act. ‘I think everyone should experience music in its totality,’ he told GQ. ‘And for a lot of years, it was only one side of music that was being represented. We got the opportunity to create a more balanced idea of what popular music is today.

‘I’m not going out on a limb, this is the most famous people in the world. I didn’t pick, like, the indie artist that I really like from Portland – It’s the number one most streamed artist in the world. Him!’ Despite the backlash, the Bad Bunny show set global viewership and social media records but fell short of the most viewed show of all-time on US television ratings. The show averaged 128.2 million viewers from 8:15 to 8.30pm ET, making it the fourth-most-watched halftime behind Kendrick Lamar (133.5 million, 2025), Michael Jackson (133.4 million, 1993) and Usher (129.3 million, 2024).

The previous year, Kendrick Lamar was also considered a controversial choice, but Jay-Z pushed back on the idea that he was a ‘hard one to get across the board’ in the same interview. ‘Not without conversations that was dated, you know what I mean?’ Jay-Z replied. ‘The stats show. ‘Kendrick broke the audience record, it’s not rocket science, this is the music of our time and it should be represented on the biggest stage because – I’m not saying they’re the only artists, right, obviously, other artists would be offended – But, I think that was the right choice. ‘I chose the guy that was having a monster year. I think it was the right choice. What do I care about them two guys battling?

What’s that got to do with me? Have at it. ‘They drag everybody in it, like everyone’s part of this conspiracy to undermine Drake, I guess. But, it’s like, what the [expletive]? I’m [expletive] Jay-Z! All due respect to him. I’m [expletive] Hov. ‘Respectfully. It doesn’t make any sense. It couldn’t be that these guys just don’t like each other. I think this has been brewing, just like me and Nas was brewing. ‘It didn’t happen at the Summer Jam – that happened with ‘Lex with TV sets, the minimum.’ It was a whole bunch of stuff leading up to that point. I actually regret that because I really like Nas. He’s a really nice guy.’

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