5 Bizarre and Controversial Super Bowl Halftime Moments
Prince. Beyoncé. U2. Lady Gaga. Some of the biggest names in pop music have graced the stage at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. But not every mid-game spectacle is one for the ages. From eyebrow-raising moments, out-of-the-box performers, and meme-worthy mishaps, here are some of the most bizarre and controversial Super Bowl Halftime Show moments.
ABC snubs New Kids on the Block
For its first few decades, marching bands and performance groups like Up With People dominated the Halftime Show. Things started to change in the ’90s, with most people pointing to Michael Jackson’s 1993 performance as the kickoff for the modern era of halftime shows. However, MJ wasn’t the first pop act to take the field at the Super Bowl. In 1991, the boy band New Kids on the Block closed out a Disney-themed show featuring hundreds of local children. (Watch it on YouTube.) But no one at home got to see it live. ABC didn’t even bother to broadcast the halftime show as it happened, instead opting to air a special report about the Gulf War.
The Halftime Show gets icy in 1992
The 1992 Super Bowl occurred in Minneapolis, and that year’s Halftime Show leaned hard into a wintery theme, with chaotic results. The show included a Frosty the Snowman-themed rap performed by a bunch of funky dancing kids, people dressed as snowflakes, dozens of ballroom dancers, the University of Minnesota marching band, members of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. Olympic Hockey team, Gloria Estefan, figure skaters Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill, and, for good measure, a bunch of rollerbladers. (It was the ’90s.) Audiences weren’t impressed, with more people tuning in to watch an episode of In Living Color on Fox than enduring the “Winter Magic” show, noted The Current. Is it any wonder that the NFL turned to the King of Pop to liven things up for the next year’s Super Bowl?
Indiana Jones parachutes in
Disney produced the 1995 Halftime Show, and the company seized the opportunity to promote a new attraction Indiana Jones attraction at Disneyland. “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Forbidden Eye” did not feature Harrison Ford (for which he is undoubtedly thankful). It did somehow involve Patti LaBelle and Tony Bennett as well as a pair of performers — who both parachuted onto the field — acting out a story involving Indy and Marion Ravenwood rescuing the Lombardi Trophy. You can watch it here, then read Bleacher Report’s in-depth story about how the whole strange show came to be.
Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake scandalize a nation
The Halftime Show is no stranger to controversy. It’s not unusual for some people to fret about it being inappropriate. Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s 2020 performance generated more than 1,000 complaints, and officials in Lousiana have already raised concerns that Kendrick Lamar’s upcoming halftime show will violate “community decency standards.” But nothing is likely to top the outcry that happened after 2004’s infamous “nipplegate,” when Justin Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson’s breast to a TV audience. The FCC received more than 500,000 complaints about the incident. Jackson’s career took a serious hit, while Timberlake’s emerged largely unscathed.
M.I.A. flips the bird
Another controversial Halftime Show moment occurred in 2012 when M.I.A. shared the stage with headliner Madonna. The “Paper Planes” rapper held up her middle finger to the camera. The gesture generated only a few hundred viewer complaints, but the NFL was very unhappy with her behavior. They sued M.I.A., who eventually paid the league an undisclosed amount in a 2014 settlement.
For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.
