Super Bowl 2025: Reactions to Kendrick half-time show and Taylor Swift booing as Eagles crush Chiefs
Kendrick Lamar joined by SZA as celebrities including Paul McCartney among fans at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans
Kendrick Lamar delivered a blistering set as he headlined the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show tonight as the Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Kansas City Chiefs with a final score of 22-40.
Pop star Taylor Swift cheered on her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, but was ultimately left crestfallen as the team failed to secure a historic third consecutive Super Bowl.
Lamar was joined onstage by his frequent collaborator SZA, along with surprise guests Samuel L Jackson and Serena Williams, as he delivered a medley of favourites including his Grammy-winning Drake diss track, “Not Like Us”.
Viewers got to take part in some celebrity spotting as Swift was joined in her box by friends including rapper Ice Spice and the Haim sisters. However, her longtime pals Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds appeared to skip the event.
US President Donald Trump was also in attendance but left early after his Chiefs win prediction fell flat.
This year’s event took place in New Orleans at the Caesars Superdome.
Kendrick Lamar’s Drake-baiting was a smoke-screen – his Super Bowl show represented a righteous nation baring its teeth
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Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl halftime show 2025: All the surprise guests and setlist in full
Kendrick Lamar gave a showstopping halftime performance at the 2025 Super Bowl that celebrated both old and new hits and featured a few famous faces and voices.
Dressed in a leather sports jacket, jeans and a backward cap, the 37-year-old Grammy-winning rapper took the field on Sunday, following his recent Grammy victories, to deliver an energetic and unforgettable concert.
Before he took the stage, though, he was introduced by Oscar-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam. The Pulp Fiction actor stayed throughout the show to introduce each segment.
Lamar was later joined by his longtime collaborator and R&B singer SZA to deliver spot-on renditions of their songs “luther” and “All the Stars.”
Toward the end of the rapper’s performance, the cameras panned to his backup dancers, which featured an unexpected cameo from tennis superstar Serena Williams.
Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl halftime show setlist and surprise guests in full
That's it! Game over, sorry Chiefs
Again, not a sports expert, but I think it’s safe to say the Eagles wiped the floor with the Chiefs.
Ben Stiller: 'Best halftime show ever'
One person who particularly appreciated Lamar’s halftime show was Ben Stiller. He tweeted: “Best halftime show ever..”
Trump leaves Super Bowl early
Trump left the Super Bowl surprisingly early after his pre-game prediction of a victory for the Kansas City Chiefs fell short.
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Trump leaves Super Bowl early after Chiefs prediction falls flat
How Kendrick Lamar's halftime show went down
Kendrick Lamar put on a blistering Super Bowl halftime show, as he brought out surprise guests Samuel L Jackson and Serena Williams as well as his longtime collaborator SZA at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
Roisin O’Connor recaps the performance here:
Kendrick Lamar KOs Drake in blistering Super Bowl halftime show
Watch: Super Bowl 2025 Halftime Show: Kendrick Lamar's best moments
REVIEW: Kendrick Lamar’s Drake-baiting was a smoke-screen – his Super Bowl show represented a righteous nation baring its teeth
In a five-star review for The Independent, Mark Beaumont writes: “As Lamar raps at one point, ‘this is bigger than the music,’ and tonight will undoubtedly go down as one of the most important halftime shows in the history of the event, if not the most significant mass-televised rap performance of all time. The Drake-baiting was a smokescreen; what really happened was a righteous nation showed up and bared its teeth. The great American game has only just begun. Go eagles.”
Kendrick Lamar’s Drake-baiting at the Super Bowl was a smoke-screen - review
Video: Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show interrupted by Palestine protester
Tom Brady delivers brutal verdict on Patrick Mahomes
The NFL legend, who won the Super Bowl seven times from 10 games, has been compared with Mahomes when discussing the greatest quarterback in the sport’s history.
In the build-up to the game in New Orleans, the Fox commentator highlighted the risk for Mahomes should he lose: “If you don't win, you're 3-2 in Super Bowls, and it's not a great feeling and there is a lot of pressure.”
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