The Super Bowl Halftime Show is one of America’s most highly anticipated events of the year. Every year high profile artists give staggering performances which are remembered in the collective pop culture conscious for years to come. Artists like Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Rihanna and Lady Gaga have all made their mark on the Super Bowl stage and their performances still rack up millions of views till this day on YouTube. Performing at the Halftime show is a rite of passage for all artists who have attained the ‘superstar’ status so it is a surprise that Taylor Swift is yet to make an appearance.
The headliner for next year’s Halftime Show was confirmed to be Latin hitmaker Bad Bunny and his appearance comes at a time when ICE are cracking down heavily on immigrants who primarily belong to groups of Latin American descent, making it a heavy political statement. However, before he was announced as the headliner, rumours were abound that Taylor Swift would be headlining the Superbowl Halftime Show and it would make a poetic sort of sense considering her fiancé is Kansas City Chief’s tight end Travis Kelce. The Chiefs were finalists at this years NFL Superbowl LIX though, they were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles who claimed the championship title. In 2026, they may have a chance at winning the title once again. Along with Taylor’s appearance it would have made for a picture perfect moment.
Taylor gets candid on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
On Monday, Sept 6 2025, Taylor appeared as a special guest on the Tonight Show hosted by television host Jimmy Fallon to promote her new album ‘Life of a Showgirl’ which is out now. She spoke at length about her new album, Travis Kelce’s romantic proposal, her friendship with fellow artists Selena Gomez and Ed Sheeran and finally addressed the Superbowl rumours.
During a game which Fallon usually plays with guests where he asks them to confirm or deny five rumours he found about them online, he asked her about her refusal to perform at the show. A rumour had circulated that Taylor refused the show because she was not allowed to own the rights of the performance footage. In the broadcast, she is seen making a face but says nothing about the rumour.
However, in the extended version of the interview posted on the show’s socials and website, Taylor takes her time to address these rumours once and for all. After denying the rumour with a resounding “No” she goes on to explain that she was never formally offered to headline the Halftime Show, rather her management had only received queries about it from Jay Z’s Roc Nation, which programs the games. “Jay-Z has always been very good to me — our teams are really close. They sometimes will call and say, ‘How does she feel about…And that’s not, like, an official offer or a conference-room conversation, more ‘How does she feel about it in general?’,” the singer added emphasising the close bond between herself and the rapper.
“And we’re always able to tell him the truth, which is that I am in love with a guy who does that sport on that actual field,” she explained further.
Taylor’s dedication to the sport
Regardless, she added, she would be unable to perform anyway as she would be wholly concentrated on her fiancé’s performance if he was playing on field and otherwise too, as she seems to be a fan. She humorously remarked about the sport to Fallon , “Like, that is violent chess. That is gladiators without swords. That is dangerous. I am, locked in on what that man is doing on the field. Can you imagine if he’s out there every single week, putting his life on the line, doing this very dangerous, very high-pressure, high-intensity sport, and I’m like , ‘I wonder what my choreo should be? I think we should do two verses of “Shake It Up,” into “Blank Space,” into “Cruel Summer,” that would be great!,” she continued, “This has nothing to do with Travis — he would love for me to do it. But I’m just too locked in.”
Both host and guest broke into laughter at that, as did the audience. Taylor’s denial of the rumours and subsequent explanation make it clear that although she may not be performing at the upcoming Superbowl Halftime Show, the possibility is not out of the question given she doesn’t have to stress about Travis Kelce. Fans can thus look forward to any future appearances when Taylor is not “locked in”.