“I’m Not Watching This Half-Time Show”: Skip Bayless Boycotts Kendrick Lamar’s Performance for ‘Brother’ Lil Wayne

Triston Drew Cook | 10/02/2025
Recording artist SZA and recording artist Kendrick Lamar perform during halftime Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome.

After dominating the summer of 2024 with his iconic single, Not Like Us, Kendrick Lamar was awarded the opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show. Despite seeming like the obvious choice following his headline-breaking rivalry with the Canadian hip-hop icon, Drake, many believed that Lamar wasn’t the rightful artist.

Being set in New Orleans, Louisiana, many believed that fellow rap and hip-hop legend, Lil Wayne, a Louisiana native, was the more deserving party. FOX Sports analyst, Skip Bayless, is one of them.

Jokingly referring to the five-time Grammy award winner as his “brother,” Bayless proclaimed that he was boycotting this year’s halftime show.

Known for his ability to stir up controversy, fans were quick to call out the ridiculousness of Bayless’ post.

Others highlighted that there have been numerous missed opportunities to have Lil Wayne to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show. Pointing out that the Super Bowl is no stranger to New Orleans, Bayless’ outrage doesn’t seem to hold up to scrutiny very well.

On the other side of things, Stephen A. Smith had nothing but praise for Lamar and his recent success. Prior to the event, there was heavy speculation as to how or if Lamar would adjust the lyrics of his premiere track. After staying true to both him and his work, the 22-time Grammy award winner delivered an honest rendition of the renowned diss track. Smith couldn’t help but commend the artist for the performance.

As of writing, “Kendrick” is currently the number one trending phrase on X (formerly known as Twitter), highlighting the success of the performance. To Bayless’ credit, however, “Wayne” is currently the fourth overall trending phrase, indicating that there are still plenty of frustrated fans out there.

Regardless of where one might stand on the NFL’s choice in this year’s performer, the immediate metrics from social media platforms suggest that the decision was a success from a business standpoint. For context, “Taylor Swift” is just the sixth most trending phrase.

Less than one hour after posting a snippet of the performance, the NFL has already garnered over 2.2 million views.

Despite the beef between Drake and Lamar being more than well done at this point in time, the halftime performance put a definitive stamp on the biggest hip-hop battle in modern-day history. According to Billboard, the main songs featured throughout the feud between the two artists generated $15.4 million dollars.

The NFL made sure to get its fair share of that payout by securing a Not Like Us performance from Lamar for this year’s halftime show.

Post Edited By: Nidhi

About the author

Triston Drew Cook

Triston Drew Cook is the NFL Journalist at The SportsRush. With a bachelor's degree in professional writing, Drew has been covering the NFL and everything that comes with it for over three years now. A journalist who's provided work for Sports Illustrated and GiveMeSport, Drew predominantly focuses his reporting on the world of football

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