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To perform the Super Bowl halftime show is kind of a big deal. It’s one of the biggest stages in the world. Every year, there’s a packed stadium lit up with hundreds of thousands in attendance and millions more watching from home. One might assume that playing the “Big Game” means a big payday. But you’d be surprised if you knew the truth.
With NFL quarterbacks pulling in annual salaries around $50 million, we’d forgive you for thinking that the superstars who lend their talents to the Super Bowl rake in similar figures. But they don’t. Bad Bunny is this year’s halftime performer, and he won’t take home anything near an NFL salary for the big concert. The reality is that halftime performers aren’t paid to perform at the Super Bowl.
Per league policy, the NFL covers all costs related to production of the halftime show, including travel expenses. But the talent themselves don’t receive a paycheck. According to a Sports Illustrated report from 2025, 2024’s halftime performer Usher was paid “$671 for the actual performance” and “about $1,800 for the rehearsals leading up to the Super Bowl.”
Still, “the halftime show at the Super Bowl remains a highly coveted spot for many artists,” entertainment attorney Lori Landew told Forbes in 2019. “Some of those artists do not see their appearance as a political statement, nor do they see the show as a cultural battleground, but rather view their live performance as an opportunity to entertain an enthusiastic crowd and to share their music and their talent with millions of viewers.”
The cost of a halftime show production can be sky-high. While it may not match the budget of an Avatar sequel, it’s still a huge price tag for a 13-minute one-night show. The 2020 performance by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira cost the NFL approximately $13 million. That amount finances the paychecks of up to 3,000 staffers involved in the production, as well as technical elements of the performance, like a collapsible 38-part stage and the massive audio equipment rolled in on 18 carts. Don’t even get us started on the cost of awe-inspiring spectacles, like Katy Perry riding into the stadium on a mechanical golden lion or Lady Gaga parachuting into her performance from the roof.
So, what’s in it for performers? It might sound familiar to freelance writers everywhere: exposure. Performing on one of the world’s biggest stages that airs on televisions everywhere can be converted into real financial gain in the form of increased music sales. When Justin Timberlake performed in 2018, his music sales rose 534 percent that same day; as for Lady Gaga, sales of her digital catalog spiked 1,000 percent following her 2017 performance. Kendrick Lamar’s show was, among other things, an elaborate promo for his acclaimed 2024 album GNX.
However, it’s not all balanced. Not only are the star performers not paid, but neither are their dancers. The NFL has been under fire for failing to pay some halftime dancers, framing them as “volunteers.” According to an investigation by the Los Angeles Times, “paid dancers received $712 for show day and $45 per hour for their rehearsal time, as well as a $30 per diem and a $250 COVID stipend if a dancer was asked to report to a clinic for a test on a non-work day. Unpaid dancers sat in stadium bleachers for up to two hours in the cold while waiting to rehearse as their paid counterparts spent that time in green rooms.”
After backlash from the dance community, SAG-AFTRA (the union representing professional dancers) met with producers of the show to ensure that all background dancers are paid. “SAG-AFTRA and the producers of the Super Bowl Halftime Show have met and had an open and frank discussion, and have agreed that no professional dancers will be asked to work for free as part of the halftime show,” the union said in a statement given to the Los Angeles Times. “SAG-AFTRA will be advising our professional dancer members that they should not be rehearsing or working on the Super Bowl halftime show without compensation.”
While Bad Bunny is refusing to play in the United States as part of his ongoing world tour due to the threat of ICE raids targeting his concerts, he has made an exception for the Super Bowl; the game will take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Given his activism for Puerto Rican independence, queer rights, and other humanitarian causes, it’s clear that Bad Bunny sees fit to deliver his inclusive messaging to audiences everywhere. Even if it won’t pay him a dime.
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