Jay-Z gets Super Bowl halftime

Pop culture · Heat 10.0 / 10 · 7 shows · 51m airtime

On October 27, 2026, the NFL announced Jay-Z as the Super Bowl halftime performer, after years of him choosing the acts for the Apple Music halftime show. Reporting since has added a $5 million-a-year deal for him to produce the show, with Commissioner Goodell's condition that he perform himself. His 25 Grammy Awards and the collaborators he could bring out remain part of the discussion.

How 7 podcasts covered it

1. The Pat McAfee Show, 2026-10-27 (1:29:40 to 1:36:19)
   Runs through the halftime guest list
   Runs through the Jay-Z halftime announcement as a guest-list exercise: 25 Grammys, the collaborators he could bring out, and the fact that performers pay for their own set, with The Weeknd's millions as the example. Also covers the Cowboys' Thanksgiving pick, Miranda Lambert.
   New angle: Jay-Z has won 25 Grammy Awards.
2. Entertainment Tonight, 2026-10-28 (1:23 to 3:36)
   Adds the deal terms and Goodell's condition
   Covers the official NFL announcement of Jay-Z as the Super Bowl 61 halftime performer and works the clues in the promo: the eleven GOATs read as possible guests, with Nas named and Blue Ivy floated. Adds the deal terms and Goodell's condition.
   New angle: Jay-Z signed a $5 million a year deal to produce the halftime show, with Goodell's condition that he perform himself.
3. The Joe Budden Podcast, 2026-10-28 (58:10 to 1:10:06)
   Reacts to the halftime announcement
   Reacts to the official halftime announcement: the goat commercial, Goodell's push, and a long argument over whether Kanye West could guest. Speculation and opinion, with no new development beyond the announcement already on the record.
4. The Joe Budden Podcast, 2026-10-28 (2:37:39 to 2:46:59)
   Recaps the LA shows and 50 Cent's claim
   Recaps Jay-Z's LA shows and the speech about online hate, then spends most of the segment on 50 Cent's claim that Jay-Z pressed the button for Kanye in the 2007 sales battle. Reaction and argument, no new development.
5. The Breakfast Club, 2026-10-28 (3:43 to 5:13)
   Recaps the halftime announcement and its context
   A short front-page item confirming the NFL's announcement that Jay-Z will headline the February 14 halftime show at SoFi Stadium, with Goodell's old request that he perform and the Reasonable Doubt anniversary as context. It retells the announcement and stays inside the day's reporting.
6. No Filter With Zack Peter, 2026-10-28 (5:31 to 9:29)
   Recaps the halftime announcement and backlash
   Recaps the NFL's announcement that Jay-Z will headline the February 14 halftime show at SoFi Stadium, then reads negative online reaction and argues the booking feels self-congratulatory. Stays inside the week's coverage, with a Miley Cyrus preference and Beyoncé and Blue Ivy speculation.
7. Chicks in the Office, 2026-10-28 (51:01 to 55:19)
   Recaps the halftime news and past performers
   Recaps the Jay-Z halftime announcement and the negative online reaction, then runs through past performers and the Roc Nation era since 2019. Stays inside the announcement coverage, adding only the hosts' own enthusiasm.
8. Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, 2026-10-30 (54:45 to 1:00:21)
   Reads the halftime pick as a music signal
   Reacts to the Jay-Z halftime announcement, reading it as a signal that Beyonce or Rihanna has new music coming, and works through Jay-Z's streaming hits and the guest-heavy set LA implies. Stays inside the announcement, then drifts to Tupac and a Lil' Kim medium clip.
9. The Breakfast Club, 2026-10-30 (12:56 to 18:13)
   Defends the halftime booking against critics
   Defends Jay-Z's halftime booking against online critics, with Wallo citing his board work with Jay-Z, Michael Rubin and Meek Mill and his criminal justice record. Reaction and argument, not new reporting on the announcement.