Jay-Z reportedly tapped to headline Super Bowl LXI halftime show at SoFi

The Super Bowl LXI halftime show may already have its headliner. According to a report from Puck's Dave Brooks on Tuesday, Jay-Z has selected himself to return to the NFL's biggest stage as the featured performer, with Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus among the names the league and production side considered before the choice. Brooks indicated the arrangement is not yet a done deal in terms of a public reveal, but the report points to Jay-Z once again owning the show's spotlight rather than merely producing it from behind the scenes.

The potential return would mark another chapter in a partnership that began in 2019, when the NFL first brought Jay-Z on to produce the halftime show, renewing the relationship in 2024. The production arrangement has been reported to pay him roughly $5 million per year, a figure that reflects how the show has grown into a marquee marketing and cultural platform for the league. After two consecutive years of naming the performer in September, the NFL has so far stayed quiet on the LXI headliner as October winds down.

Per Brooks, the announcement could land as soon as this weekend, when Jay-Z is scheduled to play a pair of concerts at SoFi Stadium — the very site of Super Bowl LXI in Los Angeles — presumably alongside a coordinated splash with ESPN and ABC, which hold the broadcast rights. A halftime selection tied to the host venue would give the league a natural moment to turn the page from a Week 6 that ends with the Saints-Steelers game in Paris and set up the home stretch of the season.