JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
When Jennifer Lopez Revealed NFL Tried To Remove ‘Kids In Cages’ During Halftime Set 1 Day Before Super Bowl
Four years ago, Jennifer Lopez went head-to-head with the NFL over a powerful message in her 2020 Super Bowl halftime show. This is the inside story of that battle.
It has been four years since the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show, which featured a historic co-headlining performance by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.
But as we now know, the show almost looked very different, and it was all because of a powerful political statement Lopez wanted to make.
NFL Attempts to Change Jennifer Lopez’ Super Bowl Halftime Show
In a Netflix documentary Halftime, Lopez reveals that the NFL tried to censor one of the most impactful moments of her Super Bowl set l, the segment featuring her daughter Emme singing Let's Get Loud from inside a cage, an alleged jab at the Trump administration's immigration injustices.
"We left rehearsal and I noticed everybody was freaking out, but I don't know why. I get a call from [manager] Benny [Medina] and he's like, 'They want to pull the cages,'" Lopez explains in the film.
"That night, the higher-ups at the NFL saw it for the first time and they're like, 'Hey, you can't do that.'"
Lopez's longtime manager, Benny Medina, elaborates further on the NFL's pushback.
"The NFL had a real concern about making a political statement about immigration," he says.
"They looked at the plans, and the message was absolute. They did not want those cages in the show. That had come down from the highest authority."
But Lopez refused to back down.
"For me, this isn't about politics, this is about human rights," she says. "I'm facing the biggest crossroads of my life, to be able to perform on the world's biggest stage, but to take out the cages and sacrifice what I believe in would be like never being there at all."
In the end, Lopez stood her ground. "There was a part of me that just got very zen, and I was just like, 'Benny, I don't care what you have to do, we're not changing the show. The Super Bowl is tomorrow and we're not changing anything,'" she says.
Jennifer Lopez’ Calls Co-Headlining with Shakira ‘Worst Idea in the World’
Lopez's battles with the NFL didn't stop there. The singer was also frustrated by the decision to have two co-headliners for the halftime show, which she calls "the worst idea in the world."
"If it was going to be a double-headliner, they should have given us 20 minutes," Lopez says in the documentary. "That's what they should've f---ing done."
Lopez's concerns largely stemmed from the time constraints placed on both artists.
In one scene, Shakira expresses her uncertainty about how much time they'll each get: "I know that the Super Bowl people want us to be weaved throughout the show. I haven't had a confirmation about how many minutes I'm going to have."
Lopez responds: "Let me address that really quick. They said 12 minutes. I got kind of a good confirmation that we could have an extra minute or two, so now we're at, like, 13, 14 minutes. I think, Shakira, what we should have is you should have half the time and I should [have half]."
Medina also voiced his disappointment with his client having to share the spotlight.
"Typically you have one headliner at a Super Bowl," he says.
"That headliner constructs a show, and, should they choose to have other guests, that's their choice. It was an insult to say you needed two Latinas to do the job that one artist historically has done."
Ultimately, Lopez refused to compromise her artistic vision, even in the face of the NFL's demands.
The cages stayed in the performance, and the show went on as planned, considering the time constraints Lopez had fought against.
In the end, Lopez's Super Bowl halftime show was widely praised for its powerful political messaging and celebration of Latina culture.
The cages, which many interpreted as a commentary on the Trump administration's immigration policies, became one of the most memorable moments of the performance.
The NFL's attempts to censor Lopez's message ultimately failed, and the singer's refusal to back down solidified her place as a fearless advocate for human rights and social justice.
As Medina puts it, "The message was absolute." And in the face of the NFL's demands, Jennifer Lopez made sure that message was heard loud and clear.
Latest Articles
