# All-American Halftime Show
The All-American Halftime Show was a streaming music event presented by the conservative organization [Turning Point USA](https://www.edgepedia.org/turning-point-usa) on February 8, 2026, staged opposite [Bad Bunny](https://www.edgepedia.org/bad-bunny)'s halftime performance at [Super Bowl LX](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-lx) as counterprogramming. The show was announced in October 2025 amid conservative criticism of the NFL's decision to book the Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny, who sings in Spanish and had been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).[1](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/turning-point-usa-halftime-show-viewers-bad-bunny-kid-rock-b2917178.html) Kid Rock headlined, joined by the country musicians Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett.[2](https://www.tpusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AAHTS-Press-Release.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Producer | Turning Point USA, a conservative non-profit founded by Charlie Kirk in 2012[2](https://www.tpusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AAHTS-Press-Release.pdf) |
| Date and time | Sunday, February 8, 2026, around 8 p.m. ET, during Super Bowl LX[2](https://www.tpusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AAHTS-Press-Release.pdf) |
| Performers | Kid Rock (headliner), Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett[2](https://www.tpusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AAHTS-Press-Release.pdf) |
| Stated theme | "No agenda other than to celebrate faith, family, and freedom," per spokesman Andrew Kolvet[2](https://www.tpusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AAHTS-Press-Release.pdf) |
| Viewership | 6.1 million concurrent YouTube viewers; Bad Bunny's official halftime show drew an estimated 128.2 million[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/bad-bunny-halftime-show-viewer-record-b2917578.html) |
| Platforms | TPUSA YouTube and Rumble, plus Daily Wire+, Real America's Voice, TBN, CHARGE!, The National News Desk, NTD.com, and OAN News; X streaming was pulled for licensing reasons[2](https://www.tpusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AAHTS-Press-Release.pdf) • [4](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/music/turning-point-usa-all-american-halftime-show-kid-rock-pete-hegseth/) |
| Reception | YouGov found 35% of respondents preferred Bad Bunny's show against 28% for the Kid Rock event[5](https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/culture/turning-point-usa-super-bowl-halftime-show-viewing-figures-b2916570.html) |
## Background
The NFL, Apple Music, and [Roc Nation](https://www.edgepedia.org/roc-nation) announced Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl LX halftime headliner in October 2025, making him the first solo Latino Spanish-speaking artist to top the bill.[6](https://factually.co/fact-checks/entertainment/all-american-halftime-show-495482) Turning Point USA announced its rival show the same month. Trump called the NFL's choice "absolutely ridiculous," and a petition to replace Bad Bunny with country artist [George Strait](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-strait) drew over 120,000 signatures.[7](https://time.com/7372704/bad-bunny-super-bowl-halftime-show/) The counterprogramming came weeks after the fatal shooting of [Charlie Kirk](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-kirk), Turning Point USA's founder, at a campus event in Utah in September 2025; his widow Erika Kirk had taken over the organization.[8](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/colbert-humiliates-d-list-lineup-at-maga-halftime-show/)
**Announcement and lineup.** The event was promoted as "The All-American Halftime Show - Celebrating Faith, Family and Freedom." Although announced the previous fall, the show had no named lineup until February 2, 2026, six days before the performance, when [Kid Rock](https://www.edgepedia.org/kid-rock) was confirmed as headliner alongside [Brantley Gilbert](https://www.edgepedia.org/brantley-gilbert), Lee Brice, and [Gabby Barrett](https://www.edgepedia.org/gabby-barrett).[9](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/turning-point-usa-super-bowl-halftime-update) Kid Rock framed the show as serving "underserved" Americans: "We're just [going to] go play for our base. You know, people who love America, love football, love Jesus."[1](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/turning-point-usa-halftime-show-viewers-bad-bunny-kid-rock-b2917178.html) Before the show, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sent a video message: "From the War Department, we salute Turning Point USA and every American who still believes freedom is worth defending."[4](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/music/turning-point-usa-all-american-halftime-show-kid-rock-pete-hegseth/)
## The broadcast
The show opened with a dedication to Charlie Kirk, followed by an electric-guitar rendition of the national anthem. Brantley Gilbert performed "Real American" and "Dirt Road Anthem"; Gabby Barrett sang "I Hope" and "The Good Ones"; [Lee Brice](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-brice) performed "Country Nowadays," whose lyrics criticized what he described as a "cancel-your-ass world"; and Kid Rock opened his set with "Bawitdaba" before performing a Christian ballad under his birth name, Robert Ritchie. The broadcast included a video and photo tribute to Kirk.[10](https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/02/08/charlie-spikes-the-ball-turning-point-usas-all-american-halftime-show-wins-the-super-bowl/) • [11](https://apnews.com/article/698c46096a387cfec34e4cc2fba29d82)
**Production circumstances.** Although promoted as a live halftime alternative, sources told Variety that the show had been pretaped in Atlanta, and the broadcast appeared to take place in a large warehouse or converted airplane hangar at an undisclosed location.[12](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/turning-point-usa-all-american-halftime-show-review) Kid Rock's performance drew criticism for apparent lip-synching.[13](https://www.wired.com/story/turning-point-usas-halftime-show-was-exactly-what-youd-expect/) Plans to livestream the show on X were scuttled at the last minute due to licensing restrictions.[12](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/turning-point-usa-all-american-halftime-show-review) Viewers who tuned in at the advertised 8 p.m. start time encountered a delay before a countdown clock appeared.[12](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/turning-point-usa-all-american-halftime-show-review) Reviewers estimated the in-person audience at fewer than 300 people by Vanity Fair's count and fewer than 200 by WIRED's; the stage, a long runway ending in a circle, was flanked by LED screens showing American flag imagery.[12](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/turning-point-usa-all-american-halftime-show-review) • [13](https://www.wired.com/story/turning-point-usas-halftime-show-was-exactly-what-youd-expect/)
## Viewership and aftermath
The broadcast drew an average of four to five million viewers during its roughly 25-minute run, with peak concurrent viewership estimated at 5.7 to 6.2 million; Digital Music News tracked 6.1 million realtime YouTube viewers.[5](https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/culture/turning-point-usa-super-bowl-halftime-show-viewing-figures-b2916570.html) Bad Bunny's official halftime show drew an estimated 128.2 million viewers, short of the 133.5 million record set by [Kendrick Lamar](https://www.edgepedia.org/kendrick-lamar) in 2025.[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/bad-bunny-halftime-show-viewer-record-b2917578.html) Turning Point USA claimed a larger cumulative figure across platforms and called the event a "massive success"; neither Nielsen-measured television ratings nor independently verified totals were available for the show.[11](https://apnews.com/article/698c46096a387cfec34e4cc2fba29d82) • [14](https://detroitbrief.com/tech/turning-point-usa-halftime-show/)
A YouGov America survey released before the event found 35% of respondents preferred Bad Bunny's show versus 28% for the Kid Rock event.[5](https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/culture/turning-point-usa-super-bowl-halftime-show-viewing-figures-b2916570.html) President Trump criticized Bad Bunny's performance as "one of the worst, EVER" on [Truth Social](https://www.edgepedia.org/truth-social) but made no mention of watching the Turning Point show, and [Erika Kirk](https://www.edgepedia.org/erika-kirk) did not appear on the program.[11](https://apnews.com/article/698c46096a387cfec34e4cc2fba29d82) • [12](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/turning-point-usa-all-american-halftime-show-review) Billboard's Country Update observed that the decision by country artists to perform at the alternative show risked undermining the genre's efforts to broaden its audience.[15](https://bulletins.billboard.com/country/country_update_2026_0206.pdf) The TPUSA YouTube upload later accumulated more than 19 million cumulative views.[1](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/turning-point-usa-halftime-show-viewers-bad-bunny-kid-rock-b2917178.html)
## References
1. [Turning Point USA Super Bowl halftime show viewing figures revealed, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/turning-point-usa-halftime-show-viewers-bad-bunny-kid-rock-b2917178.html)
2. [The All-American Halftime Show press release, Turning Point USA](https://www.tpusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AAHTS-Press-Release.pdf)
3. [Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime viewership falls short of Kendrick Lamar's record, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/bad-bunny-halftime-show-viewer-record-b2917578.html)
4. [Pete Hegseth Salutes Turning Point USA's All-American Halftime Show, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/music/turning-point-usa-all-american-halftime-show-kid-rock-pete-hegseth/)
5. [How many people watched Turning Point USA's halftime show?, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/culture/turning-point-usa-super-bowl-halftime-show-viewing-figures-b2916570.html)
6. [All american halftime show, Factually](https://factually.co/fact-checks/entertainment/all-american-halftime-show-495482)
7. [What to Know About the Political Feud Behind Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Performance, TIME](https://time.com/7372704/bad-bunny-super-bowl-halftime-show/)
8. [Colbert Humiliates D-List Lineup at MAGA Alternative Halftime Show, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/colbert-humiliates-d-list-lineup-at-maga-halftime-show/)
9. [Turning Point USA's "All-American" Halftime Show Is Happening After All, Vanity Fair](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/turning-point-usa-super-bowl-halftime-update)
10. [Charlie Spikes the Ball: Turning Point USA's All-American Halftime Show Wins the Super Bowl, Breitbart](https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/02/08/charlie-spikes-the-ball-turning-point-usas-all-american-halftime-show-wins-the-super-bowl/)
11. [Bad Bunny may have trounced Kid Rock in Super Bowl halftime showdown if historic trends hold, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/698c46096a387cfec34e4cc2fba29d82)
12. [As Bad Bunny Slayed the Super Bowl, Turning Point USA Staged Its Own Weird Little Event, Vanity Fair](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/turning-point-usa-all-american-halftime-show-review)
13. [Turning Point USA's Halftime Show Was Exactly What You'd Expect, WIRED](https://www.wired.com/story/turning-point-usas-halftime-show-was-exactly-what-youd-expect/)
14. [Turning Point USA Halftime Show 2026: Lineup, Watch, Viewers, DetroitBrief](https://detroitbrief.com/tech/turning-point-usa-halftime-show/)
15. [Billboard Country Update, February 6, 2026](https://bulletins.billboard.com/country/country_update_2026_0206.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music institutions and events › Concert tours and residencies*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license