Netizens and social media users are fighting back in defense of the Turning Point USA All-American Halftime Show, the alternative halftime entertainment during Sunday’s Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.
Rapper-turned-country rock star Kid Rock was the headlining act in the inaugural Turning Point USA All-American Halftime Show, with Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and rising country music star Gabby Barrett also participating in the festivities. The YouTube live stream had over 5 million views at one point while competing with Bad Bunny and the actual Super Bowl halftime show.
Although some X users praised the show, others expressed frustration over technical issues — TPUSA announced shortly before the event that licensing issues would prevent it from streaming on X — and accusations that some songs were pre-recorded. Awful Announcing’s Sean Keeley went one step further, writing that the halftime show featured “plenty of Americana, religion, and un-family-friendly content.”
“Having not listened to Gilbert or Brice before this, it was staggering how many of their songs were just the Bo Burnham country music bit,” Keeley wrote. “Cold beer, trucks, guns, America, and backing the blue were in great supply throughout the show.”
WHAT. A. SHOW. 🇺🇸
Thank you to everyone who tuned in for our All-American Halftime Show! What was your favorite part? pic.twitter.com/tMW9vKuKqe
— Turning Point USA (@TPUSA) February 9, 2026
Keeley also added, “Not the outright disaster it could have been, given all the issues leading up to it, the show was exactly what you’d have expected it to be. A melange of Americana, religion, and conservative values delivered in trite, underbaked lyrics.”
Disliking a halftime show is one thing, but citing the religious references as a partial reason why he felt the show was “un-family-friendly” is something else entirely. One X user called Keeley’s comments “disingenuous,” while others questioned whether he actually watched the performance. OutKick’s Dan Dakich responded to the official Awful Announcing X post promoting the story, calling it “total [expletive] and criticizing the site for an alleged anti-right bias.
“It makes your skin crawl that not everybody thinks exactly like you,” read one reply.
Some X users, including NewsBuster’s Curtis Houck, rhetorically asked if Awful Announcing felt similarly about Bad Bunny’s performance. Laura Loomer wrote that the actual halftime show featured “illegal aliens and Latin hookers twerking at the Super Bowl.”
Last night’s Turning Point USA super bowl halftime show was more than a performance. It was a story.
Charlie Kirk told to seek Christ, to change our lives. The show echoed that.
The beer guzzling, foul-mouthed racket bad boy Kid Rock came out in shorts and his song about drugs… pic.twitter.com/RzlWKhFNce
— The Questionable Gardner (@T_Q_Gardner) February 9, 2026
“Because a country artist talked about drinking beer?” one X user replied to Awful Announcing’s claims that the show was inappropriate. “Whoever wrote this needs to wake up.”
“How can you be considered as an intelligent author while such jargon as ‘janky’ in your own column?” another reply read. “If you were looking for ‘click/rage bait,’ congratulations, you found it. Now go away.”
Turning Point USA has already confirmed that it intends to hold an alternative halftime show next year. The NFL traditionally does not announce its Super Bowl halftime performer until September or October. Next year’s Super Bowl takes place on Feb. 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
