Taylor Swift reveals reason for turning down Super Bowl halftime show

Taylor Swift says she is “too focused” on what fiancé Travis Kelce is “doing out there on the field” to take on the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

The 35-year-old pop superstar stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this week, where she was asked if reports were true that she declined an offer to perform at the NFL’s biggest event because she doesn’t own the rights to the footage.

Taylor, who is engaged to 35-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, smiled quietly at the question. But in an extended clip posted on the show’s official YouTube channel, she went on to explain in detail why she wouldn’t be able to do the Super Bowl.

The Fate of Ophelia singer revealed that her team often keeps in touch with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, the company that organizes and produces the Halftime Show, though she’s never received an official proposal to headline.

She shared, “Jay-Z has always been really kind to me — our teams work closely together… Sometimes they’ll reach out and say, ‘How does she feel about [murmurs Superbowl],’ but that’s not an official offer or any kind of formal meeting.”

Taylor said Travis would absolutely support her if she ever took on the performance, but she admitted she’s too emotionally caught up in watching him play what she called a “dangerous” game.

She explained, “That sport is like violent chess. It’s gladiators without swords. It’s dangerous… The entire season, I’m completely tuned in to what that man is doing on the field. Imagine, he’s out there every week, risking it all in this incredibly tough, high-pressure sport, and I’m sitting there thinking, ‘What should my choreography be?’”

She added, “This has nothing to do with Travis — he’d love for me to perform. I’m just too wrapped up in it all.”

The 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show will be headlined by Bad Bunny on February 8.

Past Halftime Show performers have included Kendrick Lamar, Usher, Rihanna, The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Madonna, Prince, and Michael Jackson.