Eminem delivered a memorable performance during the 2022 Pepsi Halftime Show by taking a knee at the end of it. The statement seemingly paid tribute to former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick who, as a player had kneeled in protest of police brutality and racial injustice against Black Americans.
According to league spokesman Brian McCarthy, the NFL was aware that Eminem was going to kneel because he had made the gesture during rehearsals, The New York Times reported. The gesture came after Eminem finished performing his 8 Mile anthem “Lose Yourself.”
Kicking off the halftime show, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre delivered a medley of “The Next Episode” and Tupac’s “California Love” at California’s SoFi Stadium. Then, 50 Cent surprised the audience with a performance of his Dre co-produced hit, “In Da Club,” while mimicking the upside-down pose that he took in the original music video. A group of dancers joined 50 Cent in a makeshift club scene before the camera panned to Mary J. Blige who delivered a bouncy performance of the Dre-produced “Family Affair” before transitioning into the slow-burning “No More Drama.”
Next up, Kendrick Lamar took the stage to perform “Alright” and an intro of “m.A.A.d city” surrounded by Black men in “Dre Day” sashes.
To close out the show, Dre and Snoop reappeared onstage for “Still D.R.E” and were joined by the other halftime performers of the evening.
The Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show, which took place in the Los Angeles area for the first time in 30 years, was produced by Jay-Z and was the first-ever halftime set that was focused on hip hop. The Bengals and Rams game brought together L.A. hip hop icons Snoop, Dre and Lamar for their Big Game debut. Also joining the trio were Blige and Dre’s longtime collaborator Eminem.
Ahead of the performance, Dre said in a statement that performing at the halftime show would be “one of the biggest thrills of my career.” He added, “I’m grateful to Jay-Z, Roc Nation, the NFL, and Pepsi as well as Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar for joining me in what will be an unforgettable cultural moment.” Jay-Z added that their performances would be “history in the making.”
This is the third year Roc Nation has produced the Super Bowl Halftime Show. In 2021, The Weeknd performed, while Shakira and Jennifer Lopez co-headlined in 2020 during a performance that also featured Bad Bunny and J Balvin.
Watch the full 2022 halftime show here.
Kylie Kelce has responded to speculation that she may be expecting another child.
The 34-year-old, who is married to NFL player Jason Kelce, addressed the rumours after followers shared comments beneath photos from her recent trip to Paris.
Speaking on an episode of Not Gonna Lie, she said, "You know what's f***ed up? Commenting on women's bodies. That's it, that's the whole thought. But specifically commenting on the possibility of a pregnancy. I don't know how many times we have to go over this."
Kelce explained that several remarks appeared under her Paris pictures and decided to read some of them aloud. "There were a few of these comments left on the photos from my Paris trip, so I guess people need a reminder." She continued, "'Is it the dress? Or is that a little baby bump?' Oh. Nope, don't worry it gets worse. The next comment said, 'I see a baby bump.' That was confident. ... The next one says, 'She's pregnant????'"
The mother of four quickly dismissed the claims. "I have so many kids that over the last week, I have had three different people forget that I had four kids and thought I had three," she shared. "I have so many kids that one's getting forgotten along the way. ... Stop trying to get me to have more. Stop it."
She made it clear that conversations about expanding her family are "between me, my husband and my motherf***ing uterus." Kelce also spoke openly about the lasting changes to her figure, saying, "It's not necessarily going to go back to the way it was. Even more so, I have organs. And they go in there. ... Am I 100 per cent pre-baby body? No, because that's never happening. And that's OK, because I have made four human beings."
Kylie and Jason Kelce share four daughters: Wyatt, 6, Ellie, 5, Bennett, 3, and Finn, 16 months.
