"How many players were fined for that"— Internet calls out Beyonce as finger gun gesture sparks backlash

On December 25, Beyonce performed at the halftime show of the NFL Christmas game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

At the end of performing her hit country number, TEXAS HOLD ‘EM, Queen Bey stood on a scaffold and was lifted high above the ground. Herein, she made a finger gun gesture as a banner with the words “Bang” unfurled behind her.

For the unversed, a finger gun gesture refers to a hand gesture in which a person usually uses their thumb, index, or middle finger to mimic a handgun. It is banned by the NFL and has an automatic 15-yard penalty for the players.

While the BeyGood founder is not eligible for such a penalty, her gesture is now earning backlash online. For instance, X user @MarisaMarucci commented on journalist and podcaster Stephen L. Miller’s (@redsteeze) post, agreeing with him about the NFL’s 15-yard penalty and how players were frequently fined for it.

“I was thinking the same thing!! How many players were fined for that!!” the user wrote.

Many people joined the conversation and shared similar reactions on the social networking site.

“Where is the flag on Beyonce for the finger guns?!?!” a person asked.

“Still not sold on Beyonce as a country artist. Still seems like a pop star that just threw a cowboy hat on. It's also hilarious that the league has been fining players left and right for finger guns and she's throwing them around like it's her job,” one person wrote.

“Okay, but Beyonce doesn't get a flag for finger guns? Okay refs,” wrote another.

Others continued to chime in.

“Why was Beyonce allowed to point finger guns in her halftime show but players are penalized for doing the same? The refs should have thrown a flag on that play and made her replay the down with loss of yards,” a netizen wrote.

“An utter disgrace,” another netizen wrote.

“Beyonce gets a free pass while regular people get fined for less,” an individual wrote.

“And we can't even have a gun emoji!” another individual wrote.

So far, Queen Bey has not addressed the backlash.

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More about Beyonce’s performance and the finger gun gesture

On Wednesday, Beyonce headlined the NFL halftime show during the Christmas match between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens in her hometown. She entered the stadium on a white horse wearing her signature Cowboy Carter white attire, matching boots, and hat, and performed songs from her latest album.

From Jolene to Ya Ya, the 43-year-old sang a number of hit tracks and was later joined on stage by Shaboozey (for Riiverdance and Sweet Honey Buckiin), Post Malone (for Levii's Jeans), and her 12-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter (for My House).

Titled the “Beyonce Bowl,” it was her first time performing the album live and her first broadcast performance in four years. It was also her first performance since the October 2023 wrap-up of the Renaissance World Tour at the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

Meanwhile, her finger gun gesture has now stirred up a conversation online. This is because the NFL has long fined players for making the same gesture during any game.

For instance, in 2022, 13 Pittsburgh Steelers players were fined between $4,715 and $13,261. Likewise, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson and tight end David Njoku paid $13,569 each in penalty. During this year’s Netflix NFL doubleheader, Kansas City Chiefs players Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy were also fined.

In this regard, NFL executive Troy Vincent said during an October meeting, as reported by NFL Network:

"There’s no place in professional football for that. Think about where we are as a society… I don’t think that’s where we are and what we’re trying to represent. We have a responsibility as professional athletes."

Meanwhile, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also shared how it is a “long-standing policy” that the league was “going to enforce.”

"Troy had a direct conversation with the union, I think, just last week about it. We're going to continue on that focus. We don't think it's appropriate in those circumstances and sends the wrong messages. So, we'll continue to do that," he added.

Last week, an NFL staff member even told The Athletic that players are warned about not making the finger gun gesture every season and how they could face penalties.

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This was the third time for Queen Bey performing at an NFL show. Earlier, in 2013, she headlined the Super Bowl halftime show. Three years later, she joined Bruno Mars on the stage as a special guest.