Why Taylor Swift Reportedly Keeps Passing Up On The Super Bowl Halftime Show
The Super Bowl halftime show has become a coveted, career-defining opportunity for any musician. Icon after icon has taken the stage — from Prince, to Michael Jackson, to Beyoncé — so it's only logical to assume Taylor Swift was asked to take on the Super Bowl halftime show at some point, and you would be right. Apparently, the "Karma" singer has been asked to perform but she has reportedly declined each offer with several reasons as to why.
When choosing a performer for the halftime show the NFL does have some criteria a musician must meet. According to BETUS, "the league takes into account the value of the artists' overall performance, popularity, and musical genre." On the outside, Swift checks all these boxes. Her overall performance? Just take a look at the Eras Tour's success. Her popularity? You can't go anywhere without people talking about her. And her musical genre? Swift has taken on country, pop, folk, indie — you name it, she's done it.
In 2017, Swift did get a taste of what performing at the Super Bowl might be like. She performed at a Super Bowl concert the day before, and sang some of her biggest hits. Fans at the show went wild and as the "Style" singer's popularity has only grown, Swifties are dying for her to finally take the main stage. But it doesn't seem likely that will happen anytime soon because she has reportedly rejected the offer multiple times and there's lots of speculation why.
Several theories suggest why Taylor Swift has rejected the Super Bowl halftime show
Taylor Swift has never spoken directly about the reason she's passed up the opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show, but many have their theories on why she's avoiding one of the entertainment industry's biggest stages.
According to Wish TV, Swift has reportedly declined the Super Bowl halftime show not once, not twice, but nine times! Die-hard Swifties believe she has rejected the NFL because she wants to get a payout for the work she puts in. Reuters reports that the NFL does not pay performers; instead, they provide $13 million to cover planning and production costs. Exposure of the performer's music is an incentive for the musician, but many fans think Swift also wants to be paid. Another theory on why the Grammy-winning musician refused to take the stage in the past couple of years is because she's waiting for her Eras Tour to end. If this theory is correct, Swift wouldn't potentially take on the Super Bowl until 2025, long after her Eras Tour has finished.
Besides theories, there was also a potential contractual implication for several years. According to Audio Phix, Swift had a contract with Coca-Cola, the competitor to Pepsi, who for years sponsored the halftime show. However, Apple Music has since taken over, leaving the opportunity for Swift to finally perform at the halftime show.
Is Taylor Swift's beef with Scooter Braun keeping her from the Super Bowl halftime show?
Amid the madness of all the theories, people believe Taylor Swift hasn't performed at the Super Bowl because of her history with Scooter Braun. In 2019, Braun purchased Big Machine Records and with that, the majority of the "Cruel Summer" singer's discography. Years before the purchase and to this day, Swift and Braun have had a messy relationship, and after finding out he acquired her music, Swift vowed to re-record the six albums owned by Braun — hence Taylor's Version.
As of 2024, Taylor has re-recorded four of those albums, but fans are still waiting on "Reputation" and her debut album. Because of this, many think she is holding off on performing at the Super Bowl to prevent Braun from gaining any earnings if she chooses to perform songs from those two albums, per Audio Phix.
Fans hoped Swift would announce "Reputation (Taylor's Version)" at the 2024 Grammys, but instead, the musician announced a whole new album. It's taken Swift four years to re-release four albums — minus "Reputation" and "Taylor Swift" — so if she is truly waiting until she finishes re-recording all her albums to perform at the Super Bowl, fans might be on standby for just a while longer before she finally takes on the halftime show.