Did Rihanna lip sync at the Super Bowl? Howard Stern calls out singer over divisive performance

American radio personality Howard Stern called out pop superstar-entrepreneur Rihanna for lip-syncing during her performance at the Super Bowl 2023 held recently on February 12.

On February 13, the 69-year-old star said during an episode of The Howard Stern Show on Sirius XM that "85 percent" of Rihanna's performance was lip-synced:

“You know, I don’t even know why she bothered showing up. I could be wrong, but I — in my opinion, 85 percent of that performance was lip sync.”

Robin Quivers, his longtime co-host, also pitched in on the conversation and said she was not sure at points if Rihanna was singing certain parts, adding:

“Well, the big giveaway might be when she puts the microphone down by her knees and her lips aren’t moving and the other voices are going.”

Even though the Umbrella singer delivered a power-packed performance for around 13 minutes during Super Bowl 2023 halftime, some fans were not impressed with the 34-year-old and seemed disappointed, accusing her of very obvious lip-syncing on stage.

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Rihanna joins a list of stars who have been accused of lip-syncing during Super Bowl performances

Rihanna, who had not performed live since 2016, made her second pregnancy's grand reveal during Super Bowl 2023 by holding her belly on stage, which several internet users called a "powerful statement" for women around the world. The 34-year-old star welcomed her first child with rapper ASAP Rocky in May 2022. The duo have been together since 2020.

However, at the same time, many others were not happy about the Diamonds singer lip-syncing on prerecorded tracks of her set and miming words instead of performing. The singer has now joined a list of other alleged violators during their Super Bowl halftime performances that include Red Hot Chili Peppers and Katy Perry.

In his most recent episode, Howard Stern also made a reference to the popular singer's pregnancy during his remarks about the Super Bowl halftime, stating:

“I had a theory, Rihanna was not lip-syncing, but she put the microphone near her v*gina so the new baby could sing. The baby was singing backup.”

Several netizens, who also echoed the same opinion, took to Twitter to voice their displeasure. Check out some of these tweets below:

However, lip-syncing is reportedly not a big deal for Super Bowl halftime performances. As per NFL policy, the rehearsals are pre-recorded live so the singers can use it as a safety music net. Singers have often opted for this for their performances so that they can focus on their choreography during the actual show.

Additionally, Justina Miles, on behalf of the National Association of the Deaf, translated the Work singer's songs on-screen in American sign language.