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Here’s why Taylor Swift is not doing the Super Bowl Halftime Show this year, plus the other who told the NFL no thanks.
It’s just a few weeks into the NFL season and fans already know who will be headlining the show during the big game to cap off the season.
The star chosen to do this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show is Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican rapper and singer, who is one of the world’s most-streamed artists, will perform live from Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, California.
While Bad Bunny’s fans praised the decision to select the three-time Grammy winner, others wanted to know what happened to the numerous reports that 14-time Grammy winner Taylor Swift had been tapped to headline the show.
Here’s the reason Swift reportedly pulled out of doing it, plus the other superstar who has said no to doing the show in the past and why.
Why Swift cut off Super Bowl halftime negotiations
Whether or not you’re a fan of Bad Bunny and can’t wait to see his performance, you recognize that Taylor Swift is the biggest pop star in the world, who is getting married to one of the league’s biggest stars. And given the fact that viewership for Kansas City Chiefs games have been way up ever since Kelce and the “Anti-Hero” singer started dating, thanks to all the Swifties tuning in to catch a glimpse of her, there’s no denying that having her headline the Super Bowl would make it the most-wanted halftime show ever.
But it’s not happening because the NFL wasn’t willing to give Swift what she wanted.
There’s been speculation for months that Swift was the first choice to do the show. Well, according to multiple reports, she was approached about doing the gig, but passed when the NFL would not meet her demands.
One report claims that the sticking point was that Swift wanted to retain ownership of the halftime show performance.
Some believed organizers in charge of putting the show together would cave for Swift because of all the free exposure she has already given the league, but that wasn’t the case. So when they didn’t agree, she reportedly walked away from the negotiations.
Last year’s performer, Kendrick Lamar, was announced as the Super Bowl halftime headliner on Sept. 8. That has led some to insist that the snag in negotiations with Swift is why the announcement about Bad Bunny came much later than last year.
The other superstar who doesn’t want to do the show for 1 specific reason
Swift wasn’t the only name floating around the internet before it was confirmed that Bad Bunny would be performing. There was chatter for weeks that Adele was also being considered.
But that was a long shot as the “Hello” songstress has already turned down the opportunity to do the show years ago.
During one of her concerts, Adele shared that she was first asked to do the Super Bowl back in 2026. However, she declined and explained that to her, “The show is not music.” The “Rolling in the Deep” hitmaker added that the high-energy performances were not really her thing either because she “can’t dance.”
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