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Erika Kirk & Turning Point USA’s ‘All-American Halftime Show’: The Shocking Twist Nobody Saw Coming—Is This the Patriotic Performance That Just Broke the Internet?

Added on February 8, 2026 inCelebrity News Cards, Entertainment News Cards

So, here we are—Super Bowl halftime, where for the first time ever, the show actually outshone the game itself. Wild, right? Bad Bunny took center stage and absolutely nailed it, but last year? The announcement of his gig sparked a ridiculous uproar that had more drama than a soap opera. In true cosmic irony, as Mercury in retrograde may have been messing with those communication lines, Erika Kirk and Turning Point USA decided to throw their own halftime showdown online—the ultimate “rival” spectacle featuring Kid Rock and crew. Now, could their promise to outdraw Bad Bunny ever hold water, or was it just a starry-eyed fantasy? Buckle up, because this halftime battle was less about touchdowns and more about cultural crossfires, and I’m here to unpack the chaos, with a side of astrology-infused snark, of course. LEARN MORE

Reading Time: 3 minutes

For the first time in Super Bowl history, the halftime show received more press coverage than the game itself.

As you’ve likely heard by now, Bad Bunny headlined the actual halftime show, and he crushed it.

But last year, the initial announcement of his gig ignited a firestorm of senseless outrage.

In response to the baffling uproar, Erika Kirk and Turning Point USA announced their own halftime show, which aired online opposite Bad Bunny’s.

Erika Kirk interviews surprise guest Nicki Minaj on the final day of Turning Point USA's annual AmericaFest conference at the Phoenix Convention Center on December 21, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Erika Kirk interviews surprise guest Nicki Minaj on the final day of Turning Point USA’s annual AmericaFest conference at the Phoenix Convention Center on December 21, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Caylo Seals/Getty Images)

Many MAGAsphere social media users said they were planning to tune into the Turning Point show, which was be headlined by Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett.

“It’s true, Turning Point USA is thrilled to announce The All-American Halftime Show,” the organization said in an October 2025 X statement, noting the concert will celebrate “faith, family, and freedom.”

The response was so strong that Erika vowed that her show would draw a “larger audience” than Bad Bunny’s performance.

But was there ever any actual chance of that?

U.S. President Donald Trump listens as entertainer Kid Rock speaks during an executive order signing event in the Oval Office of the White House on March 31, 2025 in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Donald Trump listens as entertainer Kid Rock speaks during an executive order signing event in the Oval Office of the White House on March 31, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Short answer: no. Long answer: absolutely freakin’ not.

For starters, the folks at Turning Point didn’t do a great job of getting the word out, announcing their lineup less than one week before the big game.

On top of that, the Super Bowl is the biggest television broadcast of the year by a significant margin.

Basically nothing can compete with it.

Erika and company would’ve needed tens of millions of people to interrupt their Super Bowl parties in order to change channels or log in to YouTube.

In short, the new Turning Point CEO over-promised — by a lot.

Erika Kirk discusses the newly released book "Stop, In The Name of God: Why Honoring The Sabbath Will Transform Your Life" on "Hannity" at Fox News Channel Studios on December 08, 2025 in New York City.
Erika Kirk discusses the newly released book “Stop, In The Name of God: Why Honoring The Sabbath Will Transform Your Life” on “Hannity” at Fox News Channel Studios on December 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

“For us to be able to provide an alternative that’s pro-America, that’s just pro everything, that that’s not the opposite of what they’re putting out there, I don’t want to go into details and bash that, because there’s apparently an audience that wants that,” Kirk said during a recent appearance on Fox News’ The Story with Martha MacCallum (via Newsweek), adding:

“But there’s a larger audience that wants ours. And so we are going to make it very amazing. I’m so excited.”

She’s right that there was a weird degree of outrage surrounding the Bad Bunny announcement — but she’s likely greatly overestimated the extent to which people are willing to change the channel in the middle of the Super Bowl.

“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” Bad Bunny posted on Instagram last year, announcing his performance.

Bad Bunny poses with the Album of the Year, Best Música Urbana Album, and Best Global Music Performance Awards during the 68th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Bad Bunny poses with the Album of the Year, Best Música Urbana Album, and Best Global Music Performance Awards during the 68th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

“It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown … this is for my people, my culture and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL.”

The artist — whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — poked fun at the controversy surrounding his selection when he hosted Saturday Night Live back in October.

“I’m very excited to be doing the Super Bowl, and I know people all around the world who love my music are also happy,” Benito said in Spanish during his monologue.

“If you didn’t understand now what I just said, you have four months to learn!”

But if you haven’t been taking your Spanish lessons, fear not! You don’t need to be multilingual to enjoy a Bad Bunny performance!

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