Why Michael Jackson's Halftime Show Still Tops Them All

And It Ain't Really Close

I just want to state my position, off the rip, that Michael Jackson is on a different tier of stardom when using any metric…weirdness included, so it makes no sense to trumpet how he no longer holds the record for most viewed Super Bowl halftime performance. But if comparison is what is on the table, compare we shall.

I didn’t catch Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show or watch the game, but I have seen some clips online. His performance has been broken down to the very last compound, with people getting deep in the weeds on the meaning, symbols, and cultural value of the show. Same thing with Kendrick Lamar’s show last year. I only caught the 2nd half of the game, but like this year, I saw endless clips online.

But Michael Jackson popped out of the stage floor and deadass stood still for 1 minute and 14 seconds of real time on TV. Stood ice-sculpture still, posed with a defiant sideways glance, wearing a gold and black military jacket and sunglasses darker than midnight on Broadway and Myrtle, as the crowd went bonkers.

What has been fascinating are the halftime show comparisons regarding numbers. Bad Bunny’s halftime show averaged 128.2 million viewers from 8:15 to 8:30 p.m. ET. That would make it the fourth-most-watched halftime behind Kendrick Lamar (133.5 million, 2025), Michael Jackson (133.4 million, 1993), and Usher (129.3 million, 2024).

Before the official numbers came in, Bad Bunny was projected to have upwards of 138 million views for his Spanish-language performance. Of course, numbers don’t equate to real or perceived value.