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About six weeks after Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime show (hosted in New Orleans on February 9), over a hundred watchers have reportedly filed complaints about it to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). TMZ has obtained 125 complaints sent to the FCC about Lamar's performance, with some of them claiming that it was far from a family-friendly show.
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Some complaints took issue with the Kendrick Lamar-Drake beef thrown into the Halftime show, which was highlighted as he performed Not Like Us in the stadium. While Kendrick self-censored the "p*dophile" from the song's lyrics, it still pissed some viewers off, with one of the complaints claiming that he used the moment to focus on a "personal vendetta".
Some viewers also criticized Kendrick Lamar for featuring only Black performers. His 13-minute set included appearances by Samuel L. Jackson, SZA, Serena Williams, and Mustard. He performed 11 songs, mainly from his 2024 album, including Tv Off, Luther, Squabble Up, and Man at the Garden.
Per TMZ, plenty of FCC complaints mentioned the crotch-grabbing moves throughout Lamar's performance as well. Two of the FCC complaints were also about Kanye West's commercial that aired during the Halftime show.
Besides Kendrick Lamar, Serena Williams was also criticized for her Halftime cameo
Besides Lamar, some FCC complaints also mentioned Serena Williams' brief appearance in the Super Bowl Halftime show, criticizing her "crip walk" dance for seemingly promoting "gang affiliation."
Daily Mail reports that the footwork the tennis legend performed is linked with the Compton gang, the Crips, which has fueled the complaints.
Despite the complaints lodged against Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime show, it has still set a history viewership record. The Front Office Sports reports that the performance was watched by 133.5 million people - more than any other halftime show in history.
Lamar's performance even surpassed the viewership of the NFL match itself, which notched an average viewership of 127.7 million on Fox's platforms.
Lamar and SZA's Luther dominates the Billboard singles chart for the fifth week
While Kendrick Lamar's Halftime show might be under heat due to the FCC complaints, the success of his sixth studio album, GNX - which was released on November 22, 2024 - continues to make headlines.
Luther - Lamar's track that featured SZA - has maintained its number one position on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for five consecutive weeks now.
Billboard predicts the track may earn a 2026 Grammy nomination. It honors late R&B legend Luther Vandross, who passed away in July 2005 at age 54. It samples the 1982 rendition of If This World Were Mine, by Vandross and Cheryl Lynn. The song was originally recorded in 1967 by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.
Kendrick Lamar, who is currently preparing for his upcoming Grand National Tour, has yet to respond to the FCC complaints. The co-headlining tour, which will feature SZA alongside Lamar, will kickstart in Minneapolis on April 19 and conclude in Stockholm on August 9, 2025.
