One week ago, we heard the rumor that Jay-Z had chosen himself as next year’s Super Bowl Halftime headliner. Now it’s been confirmed – Jay-Z is really doing it. Jay-Z and Roc Nation have been “the deciders” for the Halftime show for the past seven years, and there’s been a conversation about when or if Jay-Z would choose himself. I actually think it’s cool that he waited until he was ready for this, and if you look back on what he’s been doing in the past year, it feels like he was building towards this moment.

The wait is over, football and music lovers! The halftime show performer for Super Bowl LXI is finally here. On Monday, Oct. 23, Jay-Z — who is the NFL’s “live music entertainment strategist” — was announced as the performer for the highly anticipated halftime show.

Roc Nation and Apple Music announced the news during ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast, featuring the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. An announcement was also published on Roc Nation’s Instagram page. “GOAT’s out of the bag,” the caption read, alongside a clip of Jay-Z sitting in a football stadium.

“From Reasonable Doubt to standing on the Super Bowl halftime stage, this has been a journey,” Jay-Z said in a statement. “Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world’s biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true.”

[From People]

It will be cool, and I feel certain that he’s going to bring in some great guest stars too. People obviously want Beyonce to come in, and I hope that happens. But it just occurred to me that Jay probably wants Pharrell Williams to appear too, given Pharrell/The Neptunes did so much production work for Jay, especially in the early 2000s. Like… I’m legitimately excited about what Jay-Z will do and who he’ll bring in.

GOAT’s out of the bag. @sc #AppleMusicHalftime #SBLXI https://t.co/6wnIqTKjZB

— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) October 27, 2026

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid and Apple Music’s Instagram.