Samuel L. Jackson’s Civil Rights Background Explains His Controversial Super Bowl LIX Cameo
Samuel L. Jackson‘s cameo during the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show surprised many viewers. The 76-year-old emerged in an Uncle Sam costume, enthusiastically challenging Kendrick Lamar as a foil for the rapper’s symbolic performance. Jackson experienced a full circle moment at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Those who know his unique history may understand it best.
Samuel L. Jackson’s surprising connection to Martin Luther King Jr.
Since the ’60s, Samuel L. Jackson has advocated for civil rights, as biographer Gavin Edwards details in Bad Motherf***er: The Life and Movies of Samuel L. Jackson. The future Star Wars actor deeply identified with Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophies of nonviolence and equality. This led him to participate in the Black Power movement and many demonstrations.
Through a series of serendipitous events, Jackson even became an usher at MLK Jr.’s funeral on April 9, 1968. “I remember seeing people like Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier,” he later told The Hollywood Reporter. “People that I thought I’d never see, let alone have a relationship with later on in life. The funeral was pretty much a blur.”
Morehouse College even expelled Jackson for participating in a protest
While attending Morehouse College, the Atlanta HBCU temporarily expelled Jackson. He and other students had held members of Morehouse’s board of trustees hostage, demanding reforms to the school’s curriculum and administration. As Jackson told THR, “I came to a realization that we were being groomed to be something that I didn’t necessarily want to be. The Morehouse College administration was rooted in some old-school things that the majority of us students didn’t believe.”
At the time, Jackson was involved with activists H. Rap Brown and Stokely Carmichael, who led the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee as it transitioned to the Black Panthers. Jackson clarified, according to Bad Motherf***er, “I was never a Black Panther. But the fact that you were alive during that period in America, you had to either be part of the problem or part of the solution. We chose to be part of the solution.”
Samuel L. Jackson’s Super Bowl LIX appearance explained
Since his younger days of activism, Jackson has become a vocal supporter of social justice causes like Black Lives Matter. He’s received accolades for keeping racial equality in the public eye, including the NAACP Image Award and BET Humanitarian Award. The Pulp Fiction star has also publicly supported Democratic candidates like Barack Obama and Kamala Harris. Jackson’s journey from civil rights activism to Hollywood stardom explains his participation in the Super Bowl halftime show.
Fast forward to February 9, 2025. Samuel L. Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam, lending his booming voice to the controversial performance. The morning of the event, the Django Unchained star called it a “super huge honor” on X. Wearing an oversized top hat and custom navy Bode suit embellished with American flag-style stars on the lapels, he challenged Lamar, saying, “Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto. Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game?”
With the halftime show‘s heavy American theme and political and cultural references, we can assume that everything and everyone involved, including Jackson, were intentional choices by Lamar and his team. Some saw the show as celebrating American culture and government. But many believe this was not a pro-America performance upon closer inspection, especially considering special guest President Donald Trump watching from a VIP box.
Fans took to Reddit to praise the show. One commented, “That’s the Uncle Sam we need right now.” Another wrote, “For those that don’t realize it, Uncle Sam was an intended character put in by Kendrick to represent the people who kept trying to control the way he designed his show. It’s his way of protesting and mocking both the producers and the Obnoxious Orange.”
For Jackson, it was a full-circle moment reflecting his lifelong commitment to social commentary and change. And we won’t even get started on the meaning behind Serena Williams’ surprise cameo.
