For many people in America, the NFL teams that will play in the Super Bowl are not as important as the entertainer who will headline the halftime show. So there was some shock this week when it was revealed who has turned down the opportunity for a world-wide spotlight.
Apparently, both Rihanna and Pink could have been the headliners at next year’s Super Bowl Halftime show, but negotiations just simply didn’t work out.
“Rihanna was the front-runner for next year’s super bowl halftime show,” a source told Entertainment Tonight. “CBS and the NFL reached out to Rihanna first, who after thinking about the offer, decided to pass due to the NFL and the situation regarding players kneeling.”
According to the source, the “Love On the Brain” singer “stands with the players and Colin Kaepernick.”
The offer surely would have been amazing exposure for Rihanna, especially since she is planning a new album and a tour. But she stood her ground on what she believed was right, according the the media source.
Us Weekly was the first to report that Rihanna had turned down performing at the Super Bowl.
Now, a second source involved in the conversations says that the NFL approached both Rihanna and Pink. Pink was already given the task of singing the National Anthem before Super Bowl LII back in February. Because the negotiations took so long for the halftime show, both women decided to move on.
The source added that Kaepernick was not mentioned in those early discussions.
In September, a source close to the NFL told ET that Maroon 5 had signed on for the incredibly high-profile gig at Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, 2019. However the NFL, Pepsi and Maroon 5 reps would not comment and no formal announcement has been made.
What do you think about Rihanna and Pink both turning down the gig? Right or wrong decision?