MAGA Melts Down Over Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Performance

It was a night of pearl-clutching for many prominent conservatives Sunday night as they objected to yet another hip-hop performance at a major sporting event.

This time, it was Kendrick Lamar, who just weeks after winning big at the 2025 Grammys cemented his victory lap by performing a triumphant halftime show at the Super Bowl—anchored by his infamous diss track lampooning fellow rapper Drake.

Lamar even seemingly predicted the backlash with the inclusion of acerbic actor Samuel L. Jackson, who introduced the rapper to the crowd and later exclaimed: “Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto. Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game?”

Many right-wing politicians and pundits were quick to let their disappointment be known as part of a collective MAGA hissy fit over Lamar’s performance. Most of the criticism seemed to be over the critics’ inability to understand his lyrics.

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh described the performance as “easily the worst halftime show” he had ever seen.

“Halftime show is trash. Nobody can even understand what he’s saying,” he added. “And the vast majority of football fans haven’t even heard of most of these songs.”

“The halftime show you just watched is clearly the regime’s response to Trump’s historic gains with black men,” said disgraced congressman Matt Gaetz.

Another former representative, George Santos, was more direct: “The Super Bowl Halftime show was absolute TRASH!”

President Donald Trump didn’t appear too interested in the performance either. CNN’s Brian Stelter reported that the president left his box at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans about two minutes before Lamar’s show ended.

Comedian and podcast host Theo Von, who was at Trump’s inauguration and did interviews with the president during the 2024 campaign, said the halftime show was “boring”—while right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk simply said the music was “not [his] style.”

Ben Shapiro, who describes himself on his X profile as “America’s #1 ex-rapper,” said Lamar had “a beautiful voice and a beautiful accent.”

“The only problem is, I can’t understand a word you’re saying,” he went on. “But I just say this: good luck, live in peace.”

Michael Knowles, another conservative commentator, tried to offer a more lukewarm take: “This half-time show is gibberish, but at least it appears to be patriotic.”

Colorado representative and MAGA firebrand Lauren Boebert also seemed to struggle with understanding the performance, asking her followers if she was “the only one needing subtitles for this!!”

Right-wing commentators Eric Daugherty and Benny Johnson took their criticism to the extreme, describing the performance as “Black nationalist” and calling Lamar a “mumbling pagan Satanic cultist.”

Conservatives offered up their own halftime show performance ideas, too.

Johnson said “the halftime show should have been The Village People with President Trump doing the Trump Dance center stage,” while Jack Posobiec posted a video of the band Creed’s Super Bowl performance in 2001, saying “this is what a real halftime show looks like.”

Outside of MAGAworld, however, not everyone was so cynical.

Ben Stiller said Lamar’s performance was “the best halftime show ever.”

Tennis player Coco Gauff said the show was “well thought-out” and called herself “a Kendrick fan forever.”

Rapper Doechii congratulated Lamar and guest performer SZA: “So proud of y’all. So inspired.”

Lamar performed a medley of his greatest hits, including “Humble” and “All The Stars.” The rapper brought out singer SZA to perform their collab “Luther.”

He also performed a long-anticipated rendition of “Not Like Us,” a diss track targeting his rival, Drake. The cherry on top of the performance was a surprise appearance by tennis star Serena Williams, who reportedly dated Drake at one point.

Viewers were similarly divided on a pregame performance by Grammy Award-winning singer Ledisi, who sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black national anthem.