The late-night host poked fun at Kid Rock’s “All-American Halftime Show” with Turning Point USA during the 98th Academy Awards.
Kid Rock says he can take a joke — as long as it’s funny.
The country rocker, whose performance at Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show” was ridiculed by Oscars host Conan O’Brien over the weekend, responded to the diss on social media Monday, March 16.
During the 98th Academy Awards, O’Brien joked that conservative viewers hoping for an alternative show could find one hosted by Kid Rock. The quip was a clear reference to Turning Point’s alternative Super Bowl halftime show, held by the right-wing organization in protest of Bad Bunny‘s performance.
“Tonight could get political, and if that makes you uncomfortable, there’s an alternate Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock,” O’Brien told the audience during his opening monologue. “It’s at the Dave & Buster’s down the street.”
While O’Brien’s jab earned instant laughs from the Oscars crowd, the zinger fell flat for Kid Rock, who addressed the joke in an X post.
“I love a good joke, even when I am the butt of it,” Kid Rock, 55, wrote. “Unfortunately, this was not a very good one.”
“Either way, if you want to see a REAL good show this spring/summer that celebrates America and 250 years of Freedom − make sure you buy your tickets from (ugh) Ticketmaster for my Freedom 250 tour − The Road To Nashville. There is a reason for this, TRUST ME!”
The “All-American Halftime Show” included performances from Rock (a longtime ally of President Donald Trump) and several country music artists and was largely viewed as a response to the NFL’s choice of Bad Bunny as its halftime show headliner.
The Puerto Rican-born reggaeton superstar sings primarily in Spanish and has been critical of Trump’s deportation efforts in the past. When he was announced as the Super Bowl’s lead performer, several conservative pundits and Trump himself criticized the choice, alleging he wasn’t a popular enough artist and that he was a divisive pick (Bad Bunny was Spotify’s most-streamed artist globally in 2025).
In protest, Turning Point USA streamed its own show, celebrating “faith, family and freedom” on its social channels, as well as several conservative networks, including Real America’s Voice and OAN. TPUSA was cofounded by the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Following his September 2025 assassination, his widow, Erika Kirk, was named CEO.
YouTube metrics showed that the “All-American Halftime Show” had around 5 million concurrent viewers.
Bad Bunny’s halftime set averaged 128.2 million viewers in the U.S. and brought in 4.157 billion views globally within 24 hours, becoming the most-watched halftime show performance of all time, according to Roc Nation.
Contributing: Jack McKessy, USA TODAY
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
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