Rihanna at her 2021 Met Gala party in New York. Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage
Rihanna will perform at the Super Bowl halftime show in Glendale, the NFL and the international superstar announced over the weekend.
- This will be Rihanna's first public performance since early 2018.
Why it matters: Even people who don't like football tune in for the halftime show.
- Rihanna's highly anticipated comeback performance is sure to drive additional viewership and will be an opportunity to promote Arizona tourism to more people.
Flashback: Katy Perry headlined the show in 2015, the last time the big game was in Arizona.
- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers played at the 2008 Super Bowl — the first in what's now called State Farm Stadium.
- Diana Ross played at Sun Devil Stadium in 1996.
Of note: Rihanna told Vogue in 2019 that she turned down an offer to perform at the Super Bowl in solidarity with free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
- “I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler," she told Vogue.
- Kaepernick, who hasn't played in the NFL since the 2016-17 season, said he was blackballed by the league because he knelt during the national anthem to protest police brutality.
What we're watching: In recent years, we've seen a lot of surprise special guest appearances during halftime shows. Who do you hope Rihanna shares the stage with?
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