Kendrick Lamar performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game in New Orleans on Feb. 9, 2025. Associated Press file photo

For a show that lasts roughly 13 minutes, the Super Bowl halftime performance has fueled decades of conversation.

Sometimes the spark comes from a single moment — as it did when Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction” triggered a broadcast reckoning. Other times, it arrives through imagery and intent, from Jennifer Lopez’s 2020 caged children staging that critiqued U.S. immigration policies to children at the U.S.-Mexico border to Kendrick Lamar’s carefully layered Black storytelling, delivered as Donald Trump watched from his seat inside the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

The halftime show magnifies everything — fashion choices, choreography, symbolism — and invites interpretation on a scale few artists ever experience.

That history forms the backdrop as Bad Bunny prepares to take the halftime stage, a moment that places Latin identity at the center of America’s most-watched television event. The conversation building around his performance extends beyond music, touching on language, culture and how much room one of the world’s biggest stars will have for symbolism and social commentary — including past critiques of Trump — within a show long shaped by tight NFL oversight.

‘Wardrobe malfunction’

The most enduring halftime controversy unfolded during the 2004 Super Bowl in Houston, when Jackson performed alongside Timberlake.

In the closing seconds of “Rock Your Body,” Timberlake tugged at Jackson’s costume, briefly revealing her right breast, adorned with a decorative shield. Timberlake later described the moment as an unintended “wardrobe malfunction,” a phrase that quickly entered pop-culture shorthand.

The professional fallout was uneven. Jackson was disinvited from the Grammy Awards telecast the following week and largely retreated from the public spotlight, while Timberlake’s career continued. Years later, Timberlake said the two had reconciled, but the disparity in their treatment wasn’t forgotten.

‘Formation’: Beyonce and symbolism

When Beyonce performed “Formation” in 2016, the halftime show became a moment of cultural declaration.

Set in the Bay Area, the performance leaned heavily into Black history and identity. Dancers appeared in Black Panther-inspired attire, raised clenched fists and formed symbolic shapes on the field as Beyonce delivered lyrics celebrating Black features and pride. The imagery echoed decades of Black activism, from civil rights-era protest to modern calls for social justice.

Coldplay and evolving visibility

Coldplay was the halftime show headliner in 2016, bringing out Beyonce and Bruno Mars for a performance built around themes of unity, inclusion and joy.

The set featured a rainbow-colored stage, vibrant dancers and a crowd mosaic that spelled out “Believe in Love.” A pride flag was visible near frontman Chris Martin, and the show’s closing imagery emphasized togetherness.

While many viewers praised the message as affirming and timely, some conservative groups criticized the presentation for embracing LGBTQ+ symbolism. The reaction reflected broader cultural conversations around representation and visibility in mainstream entertainment.

Kendrick Lamar’s storytelling

Last year, Kendrick Lamar treated the halftime stage as a controlled narrative space, using choreography, costuming and staging to explore themes of identity, power and perception. His performance unfolded with cinematic precision, opening as dancers spilled out of a Buick GNX in choreographed fashion before Lamar took command of the field.