Terrell Owens Makes Bold Demand Of Jay-Z After Super Bowl Halftime Controversy

Terrell Owens makes bold demand of Jay-Z© X formally Twitter

Jay-Z has spent years building halftime shows for other stars. Now he gets his own turn, and Terrell Owens is not fully sold on how it happened. The NFL legend says Jay-Z picked himself for the Super Bowl LXI stage in February 2027. Owens does not hate the move, but he has a request that could turn a victory lap into something bigger. Commissioner Roger Goodell has a different version of the story. He says this was the league's idea from the start, and Jay-Z simply kept saying "later."

Terrell Owens on Jay-Z halftime show: "self-appointed" and a big ask

Owens spoke on the Get To The Point Podcast, and he did not soften his view. "I just don't like the idea he self-appointed himself. I think it's his last year. He said, "I'm going to go out with a bang." Again, I get that, but why would you need to go out with a bang? You just went on tour. You just had like a little mini tour. Go out now, whoever is the person next year, they're not going to pick Jay-Z.

"So, Jay-Z made sure that Jay-Z picked Jay-Z. Here's what's great. Because with the concerts that he's done, at least in LA and all over the country, he's brought out some incredible people. Like here in LA, he brought out Snoop, he brought out Dre. Maybe, you know, he has some surprises for us.

"Maybe the people that I think that even Lil Wayne, maybe you know what, that would be very admirable of him if he has taken into consideration some of the criticism over the years of people that should have done it this that and the other, and he actually brings those individuals out. That would be dope. I would honestly really think highly of Jay-Z."

The résumé backs up the hype. Jay-Z owns 25 Grammy Awards and 89 nominations, the second-most in Grammy history behind his wife, Beyoncé. Yet he has never taken a halftime stage himself, even though rappers have been part of the show for about two decades.

Roger Goodell explains why Jay-Z headlines Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium

Goodell says the push came from the league. When the NFL joined forces with Roc Nation in 2019, he raised the idea early. "We've always wanted this to happen at some point. It was something I asked him about at the time when we first started this, and he said, ‘Yeah, we'll see. Let's see what happens.' But it was clear he wanted it to happen," Goodell explained on The Ebro Show. "We've talked about it a couple of times.

"I think the fact that he's in his 30th anniversary year of his first album, he just finished his tour, it's L.A., he's at that point as the GOAT that he's ready for it. He was pretty clear: ‘I wanna do it this year.' I guess I was more excited than anything, maybe a little surprised, because he keeps putting it off a little bit."

So the league frames this as a long-awaited yes, not a power move. The Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show takes place Sunday, February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Whether Jay-Z answers Owens with a surprise guest list is the question fans will carry until then.