Why The Internet Thinks Taylor Swift Will—Or Won’t—Perform At The Super Bowl Halftime Show

Topline

Taylor Swift fans became convinced Friday the superstar was set to headline next year’s Super Bowl halftime show following an announcement from Apple Music, an impending album release and conflicting reports citing secret sources. .

Taylor Swift performs on stage during the reputation Stadium Tour at Wembley Stadium on June 23, … [+] 2018 in London, England.

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Key Facts

Apple Music announced at midnight on Friday it was taking over from Pepsi as the halftime show’s sponsor; Swift is known for leaving cryptic, Easter-egg hints at her upcoming projects, and her new album Midnights is being released on October 21.

As Swifties shared theories about the performance on social media, Variety reported a list of reasons why the Apple News takeover could mean a Swift halftime show, coyly ending the story with “and finally, three sources close to the situation tell Variety that it’s happening.”

Variety noted performing at the halftime show could be well-timed promotion for Mightnights, as well as a possible tour which could follow the album’s release.

The report also claimed Swift’s advertising deal with Coke could have prevented her from leading a Pepsi-backed show, leaving the upcoming halftime performance as a perfect opportunity for her to take the stage.

In response, TMZ dropped an exclusive report, citing “sources with direct knowledge” who said “Taylor’s NOT going to be performing at Super Bowl LVII in Arizona.”

People also reported that Swift is not scheduled to perform.

Swift, Apple Music and Jay Z’s Roc Nation—which signed a multi-year deal with the NFL in 2019 to put on the halftime shows following criticism of Colin Kaepernick’s treatment by the league—have not commented on the rumors.

Key Background

Since Roc Nation began producing the halftime shows, its headlining performers have nearly exclusively been people of color: Jennifer Lopez and Shakira in 2020, The Weeknd in 2021, and Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem in February’s celebration of LA rap. Pepsi announced in May it was ending its 10-year-long sponsorship of the halftime show.

Tangent

Swift announced Midnights was coming while accepting an award at the Video Music Awards last month. The album is 13-songs—her special number—that tell “stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.” Swift launched a TikTok series this week to announce the song titles on the album, with the first being track No. 13, “Mastermind.”

What To Watch For

Super Bowl LVII will be held on February 12 at State Farm Stadium in Arizona. Last year’s halftime show announcement was made on September 30, meaning this year’s headliner could be announced soon.

Forbes Valuation

$570 million. That’s how much Swift is estimated to be worth as of June, according to Forbes, putting her at No. 48 on Forbes’ list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women, and No. 25 on Forbes’ list of the Highest-Paid Entertainers In 2022.