Jay-Z Super Bowl Halftime Show 2027: Date, How To Watch And Guests

Jay-Z will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show on Sunday, February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation made it official on Monday night, October 26, 2026, during the Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles game on Monday Night Football. The game and the halftime show will air on ESPN, ABC and Disney+, and stream on mobile through NFL+.

The pick is a big moment for hip-hop, and also an unusual one: Jay-Z’s own company has helped produce the halftime show since 2019, so in a real sense he chose himself. Here is what we know so far, who might join him on stage, and why the announcement has split fans.

Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show: The Key Facts

Headliner: Jay-Z (Shawn Carter), a 25-time Grammy winner.
Date: Sunday, February 14, 2027, which is Valentine’s Day.
Venue: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California (Los Angeles area).
How to watch: ESPN, ABC and Disney+, plus NFL+ on mobile devices. Spanish-language coverage will be on ESPN Deportes and Disney+, with a separate Spanish-language presentation on Univision.
Producers: Roc Nation will executive produce the telecast, and Hamish Hamilton will direct.
Special guests: None announced yet.

Those details come from the official NFL announcement. The two teams playing in Super Bowl LXI won’t be known until the conference championship games in late January.

Why Jay-Z Picking Himself Is a Big Deal

Roc Nation, the entertainment company Jay-Z founded, signed a partnership with the NFL in 2019 to produce the halftime show and advise the league on entertainment. Since then, the company has helped bring Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, The Weeknd, Rihanna, Usher, Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny to the halftime stage, according to NFL.com. Super Bowl LXI will be the eighth halftime show produced under that partnership.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in the league’s statement that when the deal with Roc Nation was first agreed, he “had just one request: that JAŸ-Z take the stage himself one day, whenever the moment felt right to him.”

Jay-Z had been reluctant for years. As Pro Football Network noted, he told Entertainment Tonight in 2024: “I thought it would be selfish to pick myself too early. Maybe one year. Maybe.”

In the announcement, he framed the show as the peak of a long career: “From Reasonable Doubt to standing on the Super Bowl Halftime stage, this has been a journey. Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world’s biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true.”

Perfect timing after the JAY-Z 30 tour

The timing makes sense. 2026 has been a celebration of the 30th anniversary of his debut album Reasonable Doubt and the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint. That run included three sold-out nights at Yankee Stadium and stadium shows in London, Paris and Los Angeles. He played SoFi Stadium itself on October 23 and 24, just days before the announcement.

Yahoo Sports pointed out that Puck had reported the week before that Jay-Z was in line for the gig, and that Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber had also been considered.

Who Could Join Jay-Z at the Super Bowl?

Halftime headliners almost always bring out guests, and Jay-Z has a deeper bench of collaborators than most. Nothing is confirmed, but these names are the most talked about, and each has a real connection to him:

Beyoncé

His wife headlined the halftime show in 2013 and appeared again in 2016 alongside Coldplay and Bruno Mars. Their duet “Crazy in Love” is one of the biggest songs either of them has ever had.

Rihanna

Jay-Z signed Rihanna to Def Jam when he ran the label, and she later moved to Roc Nation. She headlined Super Bowl LVII in 2023.

Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg

Both joined Jay-Z during his recent SoFi Stadium shows, and both headlined Super Bowl LVI at the same stadium in 2022, the last time the big game was played there.

Eminem, Alicia Keys and others

Eminem and Jay-Z teamed up on “Renegade” from The Blueprint, and Alicia Keys sang the hook on “Empire State of Mind.” Other guests from the JAY-Z 30 tour, according to NFL.com, included Blue Ivy Carter, John Legend, DJ Khaled and Too Short.

Expect a setlist built from his catalog of hits such as “Hard Knock Life,” “Big Pimpin’,” “Empire State of Mind” and “Crazy in Love,” though no songs have been announced.

Why Some Fans Are Unhappy

Not everyone cheered. Reaction on social media split quickly, with critics arguing that it looks self-serving for the show’s producer to book himself, and others saying the halftime show has leaned too heavily on hip-hop and pop in recent years. Newsweek collected some of the harsher responses, including viewers who said they would change the channel at halftime.

Supporters counter that few artists have a catalog this deep, and that Jay-Z’s guest list could reach almost every audience. Some fans pointed out that he could bring out Beyoncé, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake or Alicia Keys in a single night.

Can Jay-Z Top Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar?

He faces a high bar. Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 show in New Orleans, with SZA as a guest, set a record with 133.5 million viewers, CBC reported. Bad Bunny’s February 2026 show at Levi’s Stadium, which featured appearances by Ricky Martin and Lady Gaga, was then counted as the most-watched halftime show ever across TV and digital platforms, according to Yahoo Sports. It also became the most Emmy-awarded halftime show of all time, with seven wins, the NFL said.

The Super Bowl is also the most-watched TV event in the United States every year, which is part of why the business of the game is so big. For more on that side of things, see our look at the economics of professional sports.

How to Watch the Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show

The halftime show will air during the game on ESPN and ABC, and stream on Disney+. NFL+ subscribers can watch on phones and tablets. Spanish speakers can tune in on ESPN Deportes, Disney+ or Univision. Kickoff time and the full broadcast schedule haven’t been announced yet.

If you’re figuring out which streaming services you actually need for live sports this season, our guide on how to watch the NBA in 2026-27 breaks down ESPN and other options, and our piece on TV vs. streaming for sports explains how the landscape has changed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is performing at the 2027 Super Bowl halftime show?

Jay-Z is the headliner of the Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show. No special guests have been announced.

When is Super Bowl LXI?

Sunday, February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

What channel is the Super Bowl on in 2027?

ESPN and ABC will carry the game and the halftime show, with streaming on Disney+ and mobile streaming on NFL+. Spanish-language coverage will be on ESPN Deportes, Disney+ and Univision.

Did Jay-Z choose himself?

In effect, yes. His company Roc Nation co-produces the show and has a major say in who performs, though the announcement was a joint decision with the NFL and Apple Music. Goodell said he had long hoped Jay-Z would perform himself.