Was Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show the Worst of All Time?
March 15 2025, Published 2:00 a.m. ET
The 2025 Super Bowl halftime show starring Kendrick Lamar has sparked intense debate over whether it ranks as the worst halftime show in Super Bowl history. Lamar's avant-garde performance divided audiences, with some praising his artistry and others left scratching their heads. As the dust settles after Super Bowl 2025, it's worth analyzing whether Lamar's show deserves the dubious title of "worst halftime show ever."
The Evolution of the Super Bowl Halftime Show
The Super Bowl halftime show was once simply university marching bands and Disney characters. But starting in the 1990s, it began featuring chart-topping music stars to appeal to wider audiences.
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, the halftime show evolved into a spectacle of surprise guests, flashy productions, and crowd-pleasing hits from artists like Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and Justin Timberlake.
In recent years, producers have tapped rap, hip-hop, and R&B stars to showcase diverse genres and push the envelope, sometimes controversially, as seen with Kendrick Lamar's avant-garde 2025 show.
Super Bowl halftime shows now serve as cultural milestones where artists can deliver statements and entertain millions. But they've come a long way from the old days of just marching bands during halftime.
Lamar’s Performance at the 2025 Super Bowl
Lamar entered the stadium in a vintage car before launching into a medley of hits like "DNA" and "Humble." He also performed his viral smash "Not Like Us," nodding to his feud with Drake by omitting the contentious lyric but allowing the crowd to shout the key diss line. While Lamar's fans appreciated his willingness to use the huge platform to present his uncompromising vision, his experimental approach puzzled many viewers, expecting a more crowd-pleasing performance.
Criticism of the Show
Several factors led to mixed reactions to Lamar's halftime show. The performance lacked the cameos of special guests, which has become a Super Bowl tradition. Some found the minimalist staging with Lamar as the lone focus unengaging. The show's avant-garde style also didn't lend itself to the catchy, singalong hits that tend to get crowds pumped up during the Super Bowl, leading some viewers to complain they didn't recognise the songs.
Many simply found the performance too downbeat and inaccessible. Lamar's music tackles heavy topics like police brutality and racism. Some argued this serious subject matter didn't fit the celebratory tone expected of musically diverse Super Bowl crowds, who look to the halftime show as an upbeat respite between football. Consequently, online sentiment deemed it the worst halftime show ever.
Betting on the Halftime Show
The Super Bowl halftime show has become a major betting event, with wagers placed on everything from song choices to surprise cameo appearances. This year, bookies like Netbet online betting offered a bevvy of halftime prop bets, from whether Lamar would open with "DNA" (he didn't) to if he would pay tribute to Kobe Bryant (he did).
This year, fans who made long-shot wagers on Lamar to perform obscure album cuts rather than hits won big, while those who bet on Lamar singing his all-time favourite hits lost out. This has left some fans feeling disgruntled about his performance, while others are over the moon at their choice of bet.
Views from Other Performers
Lamar's halftime show performance elicited strong opinions from fellow musicians. Some hip-hop artists like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg praised Lamar for spotlighting the genre unapologetically during a mainstream event often dominated by pop.
However, musicians outside hip hop shared some public confusion, such as pop star Harry Styles and country singer Luke Bryan. Indie icon Bon Iver called it "alienating and selfish," arguing Lamar prioritised art over entertainment.
So, within the industry, Lamar's show again revealed a divide over his avant-garde approach. But there's agreement that it was the most controversial halftime show in recent memory.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Defending Lamar
Despite mixed reactions, Lamar does have his high-profile defenders. His champions argue that an artist of his stature and talent deserves artistic license to follow his vision, even if it challenges audiences. They praise him for daring to highlight his socially conscious messages rather than simply entertain the masses.
Some also assert it's short-sighted to critique his set in isolation without considering his Grammy-winning catalogue and visionary approach throughout his career. They see complaints as holding him to an unfair standard compared to other controversial halftime shows in Super Bowl history. His supporters maintain that Lamar deserves to be recognised for delivering a memorable statement rather than dismissed for defying expectations.
Ultimately, the debate around whether Kendrick Lamar's 2025 halftime show was the worst ever comes down to taste and perspective. For fans of Lamar's groundbreaking artistry, the show was a captivating artistic statement from one of music's most talented voices. For casual viewers expecting an accessible, party-style performance, Lamar's brooding conceptual set indeed registered as a disappointing outlier in Super Bowl history.
In the end, Lamar followed his own creative vision rather than trying to please the broadest possible audience. Time will tell whether this leads his halftime show to be remembered as a perplexing misfire or an audacious artistic risk. But with such divided reactions, it seems fair to call it the most controversial halftime show, for better or worse. The only consensus is that Lamar did the Super Bowl halftime performance his own way.
