"She'll complain about the lighting and freak out" - Internet reacts to Mariah Carey saying she would love to headline the Super Bowl halftime show

2025 MTV Video Music Awards - Show - Source: Getty
Mariah Carey at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (Image via Getty Images)

Mariah Carey recently shared her thoughts about potentially headlining a Super Bowl halftime show. On September 28, 2025, Roc Nation, Apple Music, and the NFL announced Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny as the headliner of the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show, scheduled on February 8, 2026.

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During her recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, which aired on October 1, 2025, the host asked Carey about performing at the Super Bowl, to which the singer replied:

"I would love it. I think I gotta wait and see what goes on this year."
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As the clip circulated on X, netizens took to the social media platform to voice their thoughts about Mariah Carey potentially headlining a Super Bowl halftime show, with one user writing:

"She'll complain about the lighting and freak out."
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Several netizens echoed similar sentiments, with one user revisiting the singer's 2016 ABC New Year's Eve show, where she stopped singing mid-performance due to alleged technical difficulties.

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Meanwhile, others expressed their interest in Mariah Carey's potential Super Bowl performance, adding she had the "pipes and showmanship" for it.

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Mariah Carey previously spoke about headlining the Super Bowl in 2016

This is not the first and only time Mariah Carey has spoken about wanting to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. In 2016, during another interview with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live, the singer hinted at wanting to perform at the Super Bowl when she had a new song, per Billboard.

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During a 2018 interview with TMZ, the singer reiterated her claims that she would love to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. Lady Gaga was the headliner for the 2017 event, and Maroon 5 headlined the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show.

Maroon 5 performing at the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show (Image via Getty)
Maroon 5 performing at the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show (Image via Getty)

Meanwhile, Puerto Rico star Bad Bunny was announced as the headliner for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show. In a statement announcing the headliner, Roc Nation's Jay-Z praised Bad Bunny, adding that what he has "done and continues to do for Puerto Rico is truly inspiring. We are honored to have him on the world's biggest stage."

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According to CBS News, Bad Bunny's announcement as headliner came after he wrapped up his monumental three-month residency in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The residency reported generated over $713 million in revenue to Puerto Rico and boosted the island's economy.

In a statement via the NFL, Bad Bunny dedicated his upcoming performance at the Super Bowl halftime show to his people, culture, and history, saying:

"What I'm feeling goes beyond myself. 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."
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News of Bad Bunny headlining the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show came amid the rapper's hesitation to hold concerts in the US amid increasing ICE raids. In an interview with i-D magazine, published on September 10, 2025, the Puerto Rican star revealed that he and his team were "very concerned" about the possibility that "f**king ICE could be outside [my concert]" in the United States.


While Mariah Carey has yet to headline a Super Bowl halftime show, she performed the national anthem at the 2002 Super Bowl following the 9/11 attacks in New York.

Edited by Juhi Marzia
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