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15 hours ago
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How Much Money Super Bowl Halftime Performers REALLY Get Paid
Does the big game translate to big bucks?
As it turns out, when the Grammys’ Album of the Year winner Bad Bunny takes the stage to perform the halftime show at the 2026 Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, he’ll pocket a total of zero dollars for his performance.
“We do not pay the artists,” an NFL spokesperson told Forbes in 2016. “We cover expenses and production costs.”
Indeed, despite featuring mononymous global superstars like Beyoncé, Usher and Rihanna in recent years, the NFL has maintained its longstanding tradition of not paying their halftime talent a traditional appearance fee.
Instead, the artists trade the paycheck for exposure, with the 2025 Super Bowl—which featured Kendrick Lamar as the halftime performer—drawing in over 127 million viewers.
“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.”
In addition to covering production costs and travel expenses—with some reports estimating past bills totaling $12 to $15 million—the NFL does pay performers a minimum, union-required fee for their labor, which for Usher equated to $671 for his performance and around $1,800 for his rehearsals, according to Sports Illustrated.
Though the NFL has held firm to not paying halftime performers, they attempted to change tactics in 2015 by asking Katy Perry to pay them to headline the coveted gig. However, she refused to be in a category of her own as a pay-for-play performer and ultimately performed without paying.
Kathryn Riley/Getty Images
"I don't want an asterisk by my name for playing the Super Bowl for the rest of my life," she told Forbes in 2015. "I want to be able to say I played the Super Bowl based on my talents and my merit, thank you very much."
And while the halftime performer entertains viewers for practically pennies, the same can’t be said for commercials, which pay the big bucks to get onscreen. Read on to check out some of this year’s star-studded ads.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile, Starring Backstreet Boys
Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell want it that way in their big game ad with the wireless network provider. Watch them perform here.
eos, Starring Mikey Day
The Saturday Night Live star brings his comedic chops—and Is It Cake? knowledge—to the beauty brand's Super Bowl spot. Watch here.
Courtesy of Sketchers
Sketchers, Starring Sofía Vergara
Slip-in to this amaing ad featuring the Modern Family alum. Watch here.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV, Starring Jason Kelce & Kylie Kelce
The couple are just some of the many famous faces to appear in YouTube TV's commercial. See if you can spot cameos from Gordon Ramsay, Christian McCaffrey, David Blaine and more here.
poppi
poppi, Starring Charli XCX
She is the moment. The Brat hitmaker is joined by Rachel Sennott in poppi's commercial during football's biggest night. Watch the teaser here.
Grubhub
Grubhub, Starring George Clooney
Don't worry about the fees, Grubhub will take care of them. See the Oceans 11 star in the food delivery platform's ad here.
Nerds
Nerds, Starring Andy Cohen
Unleash your (fashion) senses. The Bravo star shows the Nerds gummy cluster how to dress with his new juicy glow up. Watch here.
Instacart
Instacart, Starring Benson Boone & Ben Stiller
A flipping cool duo. The "Mystical Magical" singer and Zoolander star portray a Europop brother duo—and get into a flipping contest. See full ad here.
e.l.f. Cosmetics
e.l.f., starring Melissa McCarthy
Fuego, fuego. The Bridesmaids alum proves the beauty brand helps her bring the drama in her telenovela spoof. Watch here.
Xfinity, starring Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill
What if Jurassic Park, worked? Xfinity makes it happen in this fun Super Bowl spoof. See the happy ending here.
Skittles
Skittles, Starring Elijah Wood
Forget the Horn of Gondor. The Lord of the Rings alum is beckoned by a Skittles Horn in a 60-second commercial for the candy iconic candy. Watch here.
Pringles
Pringles, Starring Sabrina Carpenter
She's working late with Pringles. The "Espresso" singer builds a woman's best friend—a man made of potato chips—in her Big Game ad with the snack. Watch here.
Expedia
Expedia, Starring Ken
Barbie can handle the dream house, but Ken has the plan for the perfect trip. See how he does it all with Expedia in the travel company's slot here.
Frank’s RedHot
Frank's RedHot, Starring Ludacris
Move out of the way for the rapper, who teamed up with the hot sauce brand for their "Eat the GOAT" campaign. Watch the commercial here.
Uber
Uber Eats, Starring Parker Posey & Matthew McConaughey
The White Lotus actress and the How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days alum discuss an interesting conspiracy theory pertaining to food and football. Watch here.
Squarespace
Squarespace, Starring Emma Stone
The La La Land alum teams up with frequent collaborator and director Yorgos Lanthimos for her first-ever Super Bowl commercial. Watch here.
Ramp
Ramp, Starring Brian Baumgartner
If only Ramp was around during his time at The Office. The actor proves that the spend management platform makes life a whole lot easier. Watch here.
Turbo Tax
Turbo Tax, Starring Adrien Brody
Taxes can be pure drama, so allow the Oscar winner to step up for the task in his first Super Bowl ad in 15 years. Watch the full spot here.
Fanatics Sportsbook / OBB Media / Sophie Sahara
Fanatics, Starring Kendall Jenner
The Kardashians star admitted that the rumors of her family's boyfriend curse are true...and she uses it to her advantage in this Super Bowl 2026 ad. Watch here.
Bud Light
Bud Light, Starring Post Malone, Shane Gillis & Peyton Manning
The Grammy winner, comedian and NFL legend prove that no party is complete without a Bud Light beer. Watch here.
Don't miss the 2022 Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 13 with kick-off starting at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock.
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