3 Signs Justin Bieber Will Join Usher At The Super Bowl Halftime Show
Super Bowl LVIII fever continues to mount as the clock ticks down to the Kansas City Chiefs' face-off against the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas. Still, some couldn't care less about the game; they're more interested in spotting Taylor Swift in the stands, drinking beer, eating wings, and enjoying the Super Bowl halftime show. And this year, the halftime show anticipation has peaked as rumors swirl that Justin Bieber will join Usher onstage.
One thing's for sure: given the unbelievable price of Super Bowl LVIII tickets — $9,000 and change, according to Time — fans will expect top-notch entertainment. The Super Bowl rarely disappoints on that front. In addition to being the biggest sporting event of the year, it's also one of the biggest music events, as the creme de la creme of the entertainment world takes the stage year after year.
Usher has some way to go if he wants to top Rihanna's record-breaking performance in 2023. RiRi set a new Guinness World Record for the most-watched halftime show in history after an astounding 121.017 million viewers tuned in, beating Katy Perry's previous record of 121 million at 2015's Super Bowl XLIX. Proving Queen Ri rules supreme, 5.917 million more people watched her perform than viewed the actual game. (The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35, in case anyone cares.) So, will the Beliebers help tip the scales for Usher this year? Here are three signs the Biebs will appear in the Super Bowl halftime show.
The reported Bieber-Usher talks
One big sign that Justin Bieber will join Usher at the Super Bowl halftime show is all the reported insiders' chatter. According to TMZ, "sources with direct knowledge" claimed that Usher has been in direct talks with Bieber. They suggested the two stars had circumvented the suits and were discussing the possibility amongst themselves. The sources explained that the Biebs was on the fence, but Usher was all systems go in his attempts to lure his longtime mentee to the Super Bowl stage.
Rumor or not, fans are totally there for it. "(If Justin's up to it), it could be a great move. Usher said he had a little bit longer of a slot, so maybe Justin could do one or two of his own songs as well, like other guests," a speculator posted on Reddit. "It would be a great nod to both legacies."
Others pondered the reason behind the reported talks leak. "I wonder what the motivation was behind leaking this info to the press. Maybe he already accepted, and they want to create hype?" one wrote, claiming it was clear that the "source" was somebody from Usher or Biebs' camp, and if he hadn't already signed on the line, then maybe they were trying to push him into doing so.
Bieber's ready for his comeback
Another possible sign that Justin Bieber will join Usher at the Super Bowl halftime show is the fact he's ready for his big comeback — and what would be a better way to make it than in front of hundreds of millions of viewers?
As any Belieber is all too aware, Justy was forced to take a musical hiatus and cancel the North American leg of his Justify tour in 2022 after revealing he had Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare condition that paralyzed half of his face. "It is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear and my facial nerves and has caused my face to have paralysis," Biebs explained in an Instagram video in June 2022. "So for those who are frustrated by the cancellation of my next shows, I'm just physically, obviously, not capable of doing them."
According to the Mayo Clinic, most sufferers fully recover over time. J-Bizzle gave fans hope that he's one of the lucky ones in an important health update he shared on Instagram in March 2023. JB posted a video of himself smiling on both sides of his face, indicating his facial paralysis had subsided. Meanwhile, the singer sparked rumors of ushering (pun intended) in a new Bieber era when he took to the stage for an impromptu performance during an NHL All-Star party in Toronto, Canada in February 2024 and sang acoustic versions of his top hits along with a cover of "Snooze" by SZA.
Bieber and Usher's relationship
Another sign that Justin Bieber will join Usher at the Super Bowl halftime show is the twosome's longtime affiliation and super tight relationship. Usher is the person to thank for bringing Bieber Fever to the masses, as he was instrumental in launching J-Bizzle's career at the tender age of 12.
Über manager Scooter Braun first discovered the pre-teen Biebs on YouTube, thanks to his young daughter. Braun snapped him up and flew him to Atlanta to meet Usher, who immediately signed JB to his label, Def Jam Recordings. Usher was a teen star himself, having won "Star Search" at the age of 13, so he recognized an up-and-coming superstar when he saw one. "It was truly his talent, his ability to, on the spot, produce that magic," Usher told "Good Morning America Weekend" in 2009. "I took him to [record executive] L.A. Reid, and I said, 'Man, you are not going to believe the talent that I have come across. This kid is really like one in a lifetime glimpse at a prodigy or something incredible.'"
And the rest is history. J-Bizzle and Usher have collaborated on tracks a multitude of times over the years, including the songs "First Dance," "Somebody to Love Remix," and "Peaches Remix." They've also frequently shared the stage. Usher and Bieber performed together, along with Jaden Smith, at the 2011 Grammys, and Usher joined Biebs onstage in 2018 to sing "Somebody to Love."