You'll like this news: Super Bowl 2026 officially has a halftime performer.
Bad Bunny is set to take the stage during the 60th Super Bowl on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., the NFL, Rock Nation and Apple Music confirmed on Instagram Sept. 28.
The news was announced amid NBC's Sunday Night Football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys.
In the months after Kendrick Lamar brought the house down with his 2025 Super Bowl Halftime show, complete with special guests SZA, Samuel L. Jackson and Serena Williams, fans speculated who the next performer would be.
Many internet sleuths theorized that the musician would be Taylor Swift, with Swifties guessing that she gave easter eggs about headlining during her Aug. 13 appearance on her fiancé Travis Kelce's New Heights podcast.
As for what supposed hints they picked up on? Some pointed to a comment Taylor made during a discussion about her love of baking, in which she said, “I’m really talking about bread 60 percent of the time now.” Following the remark, fans predicted this was Taylor’s way of slyly nodding to the Super Bowl, considering the 2026 game with be its 60th face-off.
Swifties guessed that Taylor dropped more easter eggs when she discussed sourdough—a nod to the 49ers, whose stadium is hosting this year’s game and their mascot Sourdough Sam —at length throughout the podcast, saying, “We’re very deep into a sourdough obsession that has taken over my life.”
But Taylor wasn't the only singer rumored to be a performer. Metallica, who were formed in California and have roots to the Bay Area, were also speculated to be the chosen act for the big sporting event. After all, when asked about potentially performing at the Super Bowl on the Aug. 6 episode of The Howard Stern Show, drummer Lars Ulrich said “F--k yeah, of course, we would.”
“First of all, we would do it,” Lars elaborated. “Second of all to do it in San Francisco would be a dream come true and would be the right fit…Certainly, as somebody who’s represented San Francisco all over the world and shouted for decades about San Francisco and our love for the Bay Area, that part of it is the right fit.”
To take a scroll down Super Bowl Halftime Show memory lane, keep reading.
And before Bad Bunny takes the stage at the Super Bowl, you can watch him host Saturday Night Live's season 51 premiere Oct. 4.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
20. Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chili Peppers (2014)
Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers brought the heat to their 2014 Super Bowl performance! Mars kick-started the show with a powerful drum solo before launching into a medley of hits, including "Locked Out of Heaven," "Runaway Baby" and "Treasure," before being joined on stage by the iconic rock and roll band for a high-octane performance of "Give It Away" that had everyone jumping.
19. Coldplay, Beyoncé, and Bruno Mars (2016)
As Coldplay's Chris Martin sang to open up the 2016 Super Bowl halftime show, "Look at the stars!" The star-studded performance saw the rock band joined by both Beyoncé and Bruno Mars to perform a collection of their hits, including "Viva La Vida," "Uptown Funk" and "Formation."
18. Paul McCartney (2005)
At the 2005 Super Bowl halftime show, Paul McCartney showed that classic rock will never go out of style. The iconic singer-songwriter floated from hit after hit, performing "Drive My Car," "Get Back," "Live and Let Die," before culminating his performance with a feel-good performance of "Hey Jude" that got the whole crowd singing along.
17. The Weeknd (2021)
It was hard not to be dazzled by the blinding lights of The Weeknd's flawless 2021 Super Bowl halftime performance. The "Starboy" singer brought down the house all by himself as he ran through an impressive list of songs including "The Hills," "Earned It," "Save Your Tears," "I Can't Feel My Face" and "I Feel It Coming" amongst others.
16. Black Eyed Peas, Usher, and Slash (2011)
"Boom Boom Pow!" This Super Bowl Halftime Show packed a serious punch with knockout performances from the Black Eyed Peas, Usher, and Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, but many viewers questioned the sound quality at times.
15. Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott (2015)
We only need two words to explain why this Halftime Show went viral: Left Shark.
14. The Who (2010)
Who were the band who played back in 2010? One of the most-celebrated rock bands of all time, The Who, of course! The band performed a medley of their hits on the Super Bowl stage, including "Pinball Wizard," "Who Are You," "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Baba O'Riley."
13. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (2008)
His performance has been underrated because it's obviously not as flashy as some of the others, but Petty's set was filled with rock-solid hits like "American Girl," "Won't Back Down," "Free Fallin'" and "Running Down a Dream." 10 years ago, he came, he delivered, he smiled. May he RIP.
12. Justin Timberlake (2018)
While there were no nipples in this one, reviews about Timberlake's solo performance back in 2018 were mixed.
11. Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band (2009)
"I want you to step back from the guacamole dip, I want you to put the chicken fingers down and turn your television all the way up," the singer said onstage. And who are we to deny the Boss?
10. The Rolling Stones (2006)
No matter when or where The Stones have performed, Mick Jagger and his unruly lads have brought it for more than 50 years and that was certainly the case when they started up the NFL crowd with tunes like "Rough Justice" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."
9. Aerosmith, Britney Spears, 'NSYNC, Nelly and Mary J. Blige (2001)
Basically every single person in the music industry was on this Super Bowl stage. It was pandemonium. The show was during the height of boy bands, popstars and bubblegum tunes and remains one of the most iconic performances to this day.
8. Madonna, CeeLo Green, and LMFAO (2012)
It was a spectacular spectacle, complete with a Cleopatra costume, a gospel choir and some sort of cheerleader outfit-type thingy. We felt it. You felt it. Football felt it. And nothing will truly ever be the same.
7. Sting, Shania Twain and No Doubt (2003)
In his first play (or song rather), Sting stung the audience with an update on his classic, "Message in a Bottle." Gwen Stefani came out to the crowd rocking her washboard abs, baggy pants and glittering bustier. The whole thing was a blast and the crowd loved every second.
6. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira (2020)
The two Latin Pop stars turned up the heat for the Super Bowl LV Halftime Show in 2020, both delighting audiences and making others clutch their pearls with their electric performances. J Balvin and Bad Bunny joined in, while J.Lo's daughter Emmy showcased her singing chops onstage as well!
5. Diana Ross (1996)
The former Supremes singer was nothing short of supreme when she rocked the house at the Halftime Show. The queen did an amazing four costume changes in just 12 minutes. The timeless entertainer belted "You Keep Me Hanging on," "Baby Love" and "I Will Survive" before heading out on a helicopter, as one does when you're Diana Ross.
4. Beyoncé (2013)
After lip-syncing the national anthem at Obama's second inauguration the month before, Bey knew she had to bring her A game to the Super Bowl—and that's just what she did. Jay-Z's lady love made it clear as day that she was singing live at the Superdome in New Orleans, killing her vocals and wowing the crowd. Midway through she practically gave fans a heart attack when Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland joined her onstage for a Destiny's Child reunion. Slay, Bey, slaaaaaaaay!
3. Lady Gaga (2017)
Lady G didn't raise the roof, she sang "God Bless America" and then she literally jumped off it. Well, sort of. After that high-flying start, the superstar singer broke into "Poker Face." It was thrilling; it was over the top; it was all Gaga all the time and fans went gaga for it. There was no meat dress, no blood, no giant glowing egg—just an action-packed performance that made you think that the "Bad Romance" singer was born to be on the 50-yard line.
2. Michael Jackson (1993)
In a masterful move that only the King of Pop could have the audacity to pull off, MJ stood on stage for a full 90 seconds (remember you only get 13 minutes max) without moving. The smooth criminal had the audience in the palm of his hand when he busted into "Jam." The master performer then broke into "Billie Jean" and "Black or White." There were fedoras, crotch grabs, leg spins (and kicks) and oh-so-much entertainment. The pop star then used the entire audience in Rose Bowl to create giant portraits of children as he closed with "Heal the World."
1. Prince (2007)
The artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince perfected the Super Bowl Halftime show when he performed a musical montage of "We Will Rock You," "Let's Go Crazy," "Baby I'm a Star," "Proud Mary," "All Along the Watchtower," "Best of You" and, of course, "Purple Rain"—during a downpour!