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Super Bowl 2027: Jay-Z will headline halftime show

Jay-Z has chosen himself to headline the Super Bowl halftime show.

The 25-time Grammy winner will perform at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium on Valentine’s Day, Apple Music, the NFL and Roc Nation announced during the Cowboys vs. Eagles “Monday Night Football” matchup.

This caps a banner year for Jay-Z. The rap superstar performed two back-to-back concerts at SoFi Stadium last weekend — part of his “Jay-Z 30” tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of his debut album, “Reasonable Doubt,” and the 25th anniversary of “The Blueprint.” He sold out three nights at New York’s Yankee Stadium in July, followed by stops in London and Paris. He partnered with legendary music producer Rick Rubin on “Jay-Z in 8,” an eight-part documentary about his life and legacy released by HBO last month.

“From Reasonable Doubt to standing on the Super Bowl Halftime stage, this has been a journey,” Jay-Z said in a news release. “Thirty years of music, work and culture on the world’s biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true.”

Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Harry Styles were reportedly also in the running, but lost out to the decision-maker himself.

Super Bowl LXI marks the eighth year that Roc Nation, the entertainment behemoth founded by Jay-Z, will produce the halftime show. The Brooklyn rapper has had the ultimate say in who the halftime performer is every year since 2020. In 2019, Roc Nation signed on to consult the NFL on live music entertainment and the social justice initiative Inspire Change, which aims to reduce barriers to opportunity, especially in underserved communities. They extended their deal in 2024 for another five years.

Roc Nation will executive-produce “The Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show” and Hamish Hamilton will serve as director.

“For several years, we’ve had the privilege of working closely with Jay-Z and Roc Nation, and I’ve seen the extraordinary impact he has had on the Super Bowl Halftime Show,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a news release. “When we first reached an agreement with Roc Nation to produce the show, I had just one request: that Jay-Z take the stage himself one day, whenever the moment felt right to him. I couldn’t be more excited for fans around the world to experience the artistry, creativity and cultural impact he will bring to the Super Bowl stage.”

Jay-Z told Entertainment Tonight in 2024 that it was too soon for him to take on the task.

“I thought it would be selfish to pick myself too early. Maybe one year. Maybe,” he said.

The NFL had approached him years prior about headlining the Super Bowl halftime show, but it came with the stipulation to perform “Run This Town” with Rihanna and Kanye West.

“Of course I would have,” Jay-Z told the New York Times in 2020, “but I said, ‘No, you get me.’ That is not how you go about it, telling someone that they’re going to do the halftime show contingent on who they bring. I said forget it. It was a principle thing.”

Rihanna eventually performed at the 2023 Super Bowl. She may be one of his guest stars come Feb. 14, but he could tap any top artist to perform, considering his label’s deep roster of talent … and the fact that he’s married to Beyoncé. Beyoncé headlined the halftime show in 2013 and made a guest appearance during Coldplay’s Super Bowl 50 set in 2016.

Bad Bunny headlined the show in February, which created an uproar and something of a culture war. “Turning Point USA, the conservative organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk, put together a so-called All-American Halftime Show featuring Kid Rock in an appeal to viewers scandalized by … the Spanish language? Dancing? The idea of fun?” Times music critic Mikael Wood wrote in his review. “For the NFL, the blowback was a calculated risk as the league makes a push to globalize its fan base.”

Before Bad Bunny, performers have included (in reverse chronological order): Kendrick Lamar; Usher; Rihanna; Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige (all together in 2022); the Weeknd; and Shakira and Jennifer Lopez (also together). Last season’s game drew almost 125 million viewers; this is one of — if not the — biggest stages in music.

The Super Bowl will air on ESPN, ABC and Disney+.

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U2 to headline halftime show for Netflix’s Thanksgiving eve NFL game

U2 is coming to SoFi Stadium for the first time — and performing during a Rams game for the first time in nearly 25 years.

The legendary Irish rock band will headline the halftime show for the NFL’s first Thanksgiving eve game as the Rams host the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 25. The game will stream live on Netflix.

The only other time U2 has performed at halftime of an NFL game was at Super Bowl XXXVI on Feb. 3, 2002, when the New England Patriots defeated the then-St. Louis Rams 20-17 at the Superdome in New Orleans.

“There’s a reason U2 has headlined stadiums for decades: they don’t just perform, they deliver iconic moments audiences remember forever,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said in a statement. “We’re thrilled that they’ll bring that same magic to the NFL stage on Netflix. It’s going to be an unforgettable night for football fans and Netflix members worldwide.”

U2’s halftime show will feature special guests, the streaming service said.

Netflix has featured big-name halftime performers during some of the previous NFL games it has streamed, including Beyoncé on Christmas day in 2024 and Snoop Dogg on Christmas last year.

U2 — which features singer Bono, lead guitarist the Edge, bass player Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. — celebrated their 50th anniversary last month with a concert. The group performed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, where the four members were students when they first got together as a band in 1976.

The band has won 22 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Its 16th studio album, Carnival de Luz, is set to drop on Nov. 13.

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Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes are married 4 years after ABC scandal

Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes finally ran off and made the thing official.

The former “Good Morning America” anchors tied the knot in a private Arkansas ceremony back in September. The marriage license, obtained by People, confirmed the Washington County nuptials.

Last October, the couple announced their engagement on the “Amy & T.J.” podcast. “We’re actually surprised we’re just now talking about it,” Holmes said. “We wanted to let you all know before anybody was able to. We learned that lesson I guess in the past about our relationship: We want to be the first to talk about it.”

The lesson Holmes is referencing is the couple’s big relationship reveal, which happened while they were both anchors on “GMA3” and married to other people.

In 2022, the paparazzi leaked photos of the two holding hands, nestled into each other at a New York bar, and Holmes patting Robach on the rear. Chaos broke loose in the media and behind the scenes at ABC. Holmes’ then-wife, attorney Marilee Fiebig, filed for divorce shortly thereafter, followed by the divorce of Robach and her second husband, “Melrose Place” actor Andrew Shue, months later.

The same month that news of the scandal broke, ABC parted ways with the anchors, and they deactivated their social media accounts. A year later, the broadcasting duo embraced their coupledom, naysayers be damned, and teamed up with iHeartPodcasts to launch “Amy & T.J.,” marketed as “informative, entertaining, and above all, authentic; it will mark the first time Robach and Holmes speak publicly since their own names became a part of the headlines.”

In the debut episode, Robach and Holmes detailed how the scandal unfolded and insisted they’d been quietly separated from their spouses before their love affair began. Both said that the scandal dominating the headlines and the loss of their dream jobs sent them into the depths of despair.

“But we have had each other through it all,” Robach said. “It has been the most beautiful relationship I have had in my life.”

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