Kendrick Lamar’s Controversial Halftime Show Was Most-Watched In Super Bowl History

Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance at Super Bowl LIX is still getting mixed reviews, with many viewers calling it confusing and others deeming it brilliant. But in either case, it has gone down in history as the most-watched halftime show ever, with a total of 133.5 million viewers.

The previous record-holder since 1993 was pop superstar Michael Jackson, who received 133.4 million views when he performed at Super Bowl XXVII at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Lamar is the first solo rapper to perform at the Super Bowl, per Sports Illustrated. The recording artist performed a total of 12 songs, including his popular “diss track” against the Canadian rapper Drake, called “Not Like Us.”

Many viewers were pleased to see outwardly patriotic themes during the performance including dancers wearing red, white, and blue and positioning themselves to depict an American Flag. Samuel L. Jackson appeared as Uncle Sam, and there were no scantily clad dancers or sexualized moves, which is normally a big complaint for Super Bowl shows.

However, many football fans complained that Lamar’s songs were mostly unknown to the general public and that it was hard to understand the lyrics. Others noted that the rapper, who often uses his music to advocate progressive social themes, was actually criticizing the nation with the performance.

Tennis pro Serena Williams also made a guest appearance, doing the same “crip walk” dance that she was criticized for performing at Wimbledon 13 years ago. Her inclusion was meant to further antagonize Drake, who is rumored to have dated Williams decades ago.

Roc Nation, Apple Music, and the NFL announced that the viewership record was broken on Tuesday, writing on social media, “We’ve broken the record again! The most watched Apple Music Halftime show EVER, with 133.5 Million viewers.”

This number is surprising considering that Lamar’s performance had more viewers than the football game itself, which had an average viewership of 126 million, per Fox Sports.

Lamar, 37, is a Compton-born rapper was signed as an artist in 2005. He’s the recipient of multiple accolades, including 22 Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, a Brit Award, and several others.