How Did Drake React to Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show?
133 million people saw Kendrick Lamar diss Drake in the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show ever
- Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year" award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Kendrick Lamar on stage during the Super Bowl LIX halftime show on Feb. 9, 2025.
Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show set a record: It's now the most-viewed halftime show in the history of the Big Game. According to the NFL, 133 million people watched Lamar and SZA's performance Sunday during the Philadelphia Eagles victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. That's a 3% increase from Usher's halftime show last year, which pulled in 129.3 million, the league said.
And while fans seem to have appreciated the concert, how did Drake react?
Lamar did indeed perform his controversial 2024 song Not Like Us during the halftime show. You might have heard about it. Drake is suing record label Universal Music Group for defamation and harassment, alleging that the company helped to spread a "false and malicious" narrative about him via the song. However, he didn't say the word "pedophile," which is in the lyrics and is at the center of the controversy.
While Drake hasn't spoken publicly about the halftime show, Entertainment Tonight cites a source saying that Drake is "angry but is not trying to outwardly show it and is acting like he doesn't care."
Britain's Daily Mail also cites an anonymous source who supposedly is close to Drake.
'Drake put his friends on a Super Bowl ban and did not tune into the show,' that person told DailyMail.com. 'He was not able to stop Not Like Us from being played and wasn't happy about it."
How do I rewatch the Super Bowl halftime show?
Every year, the NFL is quick to put the Super Bowl halftime show performance online on YouTube. So watch away.
Lamar, the influential musician, rapper, 20-time Grammy winner and recipient of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, was this year's halftime show headliner, and he couldn't have timed it better as far as publicity. The weekend before the Super Bowl, Lamar collected five Grammy Awards, all for his Drake diss track Not Like Us. He won record of the year, song of the year, best music video, best rap song and best rap performance.
Actor Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, introduced Lamar. Lamar was surrounded by dancers dressed in red, white and blue, who at one point formed a flag on stage. And as expected, Lamar was later joined by his fellow GBritarammy-winning musician, SZA.
Tennis superstar Serena Williams also showed up to dance. Why was a tennis star there? Well, both Lamar and Williams were raised in Compton, California (Williams was born in Michigan), and Williams reportedly once dated Drake, so there may have been some trolling going on. (SZA also once dated Drake.)
How can I watch the national anthem and other performances?
Lamar and SZA weren't the only musical performers involved in the Super Bowl, and you can catch up on the other musical performances, too.
Lady Gaga performed a touching musical tribute to host city New Orleans, which suffered a terrorist attack on New Year's Day.
New Orleans' native Harry Connick Jr. also joined in with a New Orleans tribute, which included the Southern University Human Jukebox Marching Band.
Jon Batiste sang the national anthem.
Lauren Daigle and Trombone Shorty sang America the Beautiful.
Singer Ledisi sang Lift Every Voice and Sing before the game.
How much did Kendrick Lamar and SZA get paid?
This may sound shocking, but the Super Bowl halftime performers don't get paid. Rather, they profit from the Super Bowl's massive viewership, as the increased visibility and captive audience turn their mini-concert into a lucrative opportunity. Over 100 million people watch, and many seek out the artist's music after hearing it during the game.
Rihanna performed at the 2023 Super Bowl, and according to The Mirror, her listens on Spotify jumped by 640% after the game. One estimate says her big-game performance was worth $88 million in publicity and interest.
Who won the Super Bowl?
The Philadelphia Eagles scooped up their second Super Bowl title, beating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in a game that wasn't close. The Chiefs, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, had high hopes for their third straight Super Bowl title -- no team has ever won three in a row. But looks like we're going to have to keep waiting for the first-ever three-peat.