Rihanna is set to tackle the halftime show for Super Bowl 57, which will be played on Feb. 12, 2023 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and aired on Fox.
The NFL made the announcement on Sunday afternoon, tweeting a photo of the recording artist’s hand holding up a football, with the caption, “Let’s GO.” (See below.) Rihanna in turn appears speechless, RTing the NFL’s image and only adding the non-comment “.”
Previously, Rihanna rejected the NFL’s offer for her to perform during the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show, saying she made the decision in solidarity with former San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick, whose peaceful protesting of police brutality went largely unsupported by the pro sports organization.
“I couldn’t dare do that,” Rihanna told Vogue afterwards. “Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”
Let’s GO – @rihanna @rocnation #SBLVII @AppleMusic @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/xmIXK5jsRg
— NFL (@NFL) September 25, 2022
Recent Super Bowl halftime show performers have included this year’s combo of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar (which earned an average TVLine reader grade of “B-“), The Weeknd; Jennifer Lopez and Shakira; Maroon 5 (ft. Travis Scott and Big Boi); Justin Timberlake; Lady Gaga, Coldplay; and Katy Perry.
As announced this week, Apple Music is the new Super Bowl halftime show sponsor, ending a longtime run by Pepsi.
Leading out of Super Bowl 57, Fox will air the Season 2 premiere of the cooking competition Next Level Chef, which was a low-key hit last season, tying 9-1-1: Lone Star as Fox’s No. 3-rated entertainment program (trailing only 9-1-1 and The Masked Singer).