The Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show might go down in history as one of the most iconic performances to date. “Happy Days” star Henry Winkler certainly seems to think so.
The Halftime Show featured performances from a group of legendary hip-hop and rap artists including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar. And let’s not forget that surprise appearance by 50 Cent.
During the game, Winkler took to Twitter to share a photo of the six performers on stage at the Super Bowl. He kept his caption for the post simple and to the point. “Just fantastic,” Winkler said.
Many fans and celebrities agreed with him. The Super Bowl Halftime Show definitely targeted a specific demographic of people who grew up in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. On Twitter last night, several people made jokes in reference to the time period and the age people are now who once listened to these artists back in the day.
“The Super Bowl halftime show will be the same 14 songs I downloaded and burned to my CD-R in 1999,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“RIP my son who asked my wife and I how these people were still alive if we listened to them as kids,” another Twitter user chimed in. That one definitely hurts a little.
Even Brittany Matthews, the wife of the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, gave her input on the Super Bowl Halftime Show. “That is now the BEST performance EVER,” Matthews tweeted out last night.
Eminem Takes a Knee During Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Despite NFL Asking Him Not To
Among the incredible performances of the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show was one gesture of protest. Eminem was one of the last rappers to take the stage before they all joined in on a collaboration. And after his individual performance, he dropped to one knee and stayed there for several seconds.
The gesture is in reference to former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who took the knee during the National Anthem to protest police violence against the black community.
According to Puck News, NFL executives asked Eminem not to make the gesture before the performance. But afterward, an NFL rep spoke to Variety and said they knew Eminem planned to make the gesture anyway.
“We watched all elements of the show during multiple rehearsals this week and were aware that Eminem was going to do that,” the rep said. “This was not an area of concern. A player or coach could have taken a knee today and there would not have been an issue.”
However, it looks like few, if any, Los Angeles Rams or Cincinnati Bengals players kneeled during the National Anthem sung by Mickey Guyton.