According to a report by Reality Tea, Taylor Swift is out of the question for the Super Bowl halftime show. Industry insiders revealed that negotiations between the “Fortnight” singer and the NFL crumbled after the league “flatly refused” her requests. The pop princess wanted her performance and ad slots to highlight her projects. However, the NFL wanted her to do the show purely for “exposure.”
‼️| Apparently Taylor Swift declined to perform at the 2026 Super Bowl half-time show because the NFL wouldn’t offer terms that reflected her value
— She wanted ownership of the performance footage pic.twitter.com/PqY22YHUrB
— Taylor Swift Edits (@TSwiftEdits_13) September 25, 2025
Then, Rob Shuter reported on Substack that Taylor Swift walked away from the offer because the deal didn’t match her value. The league notoriously doesn’t pay halftime performers, and while many stars take the gig, a valuable agreement wasn’t agreed upon for her. A music executive then told Shuter, “She wasn’t asking for favors, she was asking for respect.”
Rob Shuter claims that Taylor Swift was in talks to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show but the deal ended up falling through.
“The NFL’s dream of securing Taylor Swift for the Super Bowl Halftime Show has collapsed […] They expect the biggest artists in the world to do it… pic.twitter.com/OSrvqz8CTB
— Pop Flop (@ThePopFlop) September 25, 2025
The rejection highlights the massive influence Taylor Swift has in entertaiment. And while many Swifties have dreamed of seeing her at the halftime show, that dream is now benched. For now, the singer will be busy with the release of her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” which will be hitting streaming platforms and record stores on October 3rd, 2025.
