Every time the NFL announces who will play in the Super Bowl halftime show, Taylor Swift fans sigh with sadness.
Why didn’t Taylor Swift perform at the Super Bowl halftime show? Seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it?
All the greatest female artists of the modern era have achieved this: Beyoncé. Lady Gaga. Rihanna. Katy Perry.
Still, no Taylor!
Give the big year she and the NFL shared 2023, by Travis Kelce Of course, many thought she would be the artist of 2024.
Although we are by no means sad to see Usher takes the stage we did some research and got receipts proof, timeline, screenshots to explain why she didn’t do the halftime show.
And why this could still happen in 2025, despite not being the main attraction.
Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl with Travis Kelce and friends
Although she hasn’t performed at the Super Bowl yet, Taylor was at the big game — in style!
She’s even been on the field, just to give her man a big kiss!
After much speculation about whether she would make it due to her Tokyo shows, Taylor delighted fans and her boyfriend Travis Kelce by being front and center at the 2024 game.
She clearly had a lot of fun, drinking back with her friends Blake Lively and Ice Spice, as well as rooting for her man on the show.
In the end, Travis and the KC Chiefs were successful in winning consecutive Super Bowls.
The night belonged to Mahomes and Hartman and coach Andy Reid, but it also belonged to Traylor who, like them or not, brought together a whole new audience to love football.
In his victory speech, Travis announced that they would aim for a third victory next year. So far, the team is doing very well this season. Taylor may even be acting as a good luck charm. She’s been to most of the games this season, partying with her parents — and Travis’s parents — in the family suite high above the stadium.
So if the Chiefs make it to the Super Bowl in 2025, it looks like Taylor will be by their side.
And there are even rumors that she could perform during the halftime show as a special guest!
Why hasn’t Taylor Swift performed at the Super Bowl halftime show yet?
She is the biggest name in music; she has a catalog of songs that is second to none; and to be frank, the NFL loves Taylor SwiftSo it seems crazy that she hasn’t yet been invited to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show.
Well, the truth is that Taylor has already been invited to perform. Often, if we are to believe the reports.
She simply turned down the offers over and over again.
In the beginning, it was a question of alliances. The Super Bowl halftime show was sponsored by Pepsi for many years; Taylor is a Coca-Cola rep through and through.
But in 2020, sponsorship was taken over by Apple Music, paving the way for artists like Rihanna and The Weeknd to take the stage.
But there’s still no Taylor? Why?
Two words: Taylor’s version.
Why Taylor is Waiting to Host the Halftime Show
The main reason for Taylor not performing at a Super Bowl concert is that she is still working to regain the rights to all of her music.
She is still re-recording her early albums after losing the rights to them to producer Scooter Braun.
After years of work, we finally came up with the last two re-recordings: Reputation and Taylor Swift.
Many fans thought an announcement for the former was coming in early 2024. Instead, Taylor announced she was releasing a new album this spring.
Now, that doesn’t mean she can’t do both, and honestly, that’s what everyone hopes. She couldn’t do a halftime show justice if she couldn’t play “Look What You Made Me Do” or “Teardrops On My Guitar.”
And you know she’s not letting anyone get a dime for her performance besides her!
And let’s face it: Taylor is a mentor.
So until these albums are ready, there will be no Taylor at the Super Bowl.
And yet…
Taylor Swift may still perform at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show
Swifties were half bummed and half happy to learn that the 2025 Super Bowl headliner would be Kendrick Lamar.
Kendrick will be front and center on February 9, 2025, in New Orleans at the Caesars Superdome, regardless of which two teams end up facing each other.
But he may not be alone out there. Consider what we’ve said so far: Taylor hasn’t yet dropped her Reputation and Taylor Swift albums, so an independent show would be out of the question if she had to pay others for the rights to perform her music.
HOWEVER, 1989 (Taylor version) released October 27, 2023. Do you remember which track is on this album?
Do you remember which track is on this album? That’s right, Bad Blood, with none other than Kendrick Lamar.
The two are friends and we could 100% see Kendrick asking for a favor and Taylor happily obliging.
Of course, he could arrange many favors for special guests through his collaborations; SZA, Drake, BEYONCE!
In short, this could finally be the year and Taylor won’t have to sacrifice her integrity – or her billionaire status – to do it.
The NFL is doing its part
Wild conspiracy theories aside, no one can deny what the Taylor Effect has done for the NFL this year.
Between the increased viewership, the products flying off the shelves, and the general buzz at an all-time high, it’s clear this was a good match as Taylor is with Travis.
So could next year be in the works? Well, before the headliner was announced in September, there were reports that the NFL was doing everything possible to persuade Taylor to perform.
According to a report from the New York Post Office, the NFL asked its networks during the season to air commercials for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film for free in a bid to ensure their continued support.
“TV executives have speculated that the NFL’s goal with Swift is the Super Bowl halftime show, which she has never done,” the Post reported.
Now, no one has been able to confirm whether the same deal was reached for the big game, with ads for its concert film that were released on Disney+ in March but have been aired.
With the Eras tour officially coming to an end in December 2024, what a way to end her two years of touring than to be a guest at the Super Bowl!