What did Kanye West say about the Super Bowl? Rapper lists three reasons he thinks he never hosted the halftime show

Kanye West, now known as Ye, shared his belief that three controversial moments from his past may have cost him the chance to headline a Super Bowl Halftime Show. On April 8, 2025, Ye posted—and later deleted—a message on X, where he openly addressed why he thinks he has been "blocked from the main stage."

In the tweet posted on Monday, Ye wrote:

"I never was allowed to do the Super Bowl because of 3 moments. George Bush don't care about black people. The Taylor Swift movement moment. Wearing a MAGA hat."

He went on to add:

"How it feel to be the best living and blocked from the main stage because of being ahead of my time. And I mean all of this before I went full N*zi of course."

This message reflects how Kanye West views his public statements and political stances as the reason for being overlooked, despite his impact on music and culture.

The "George Bush" comment refers to his 2005 appearance during a Hurricane Katrina benefit concert, when he made a live TV statement criticizing the then-president, as reported by Complex.

The "Taylor Swift movement moment" alludes to the 2009 MTV VMAs when he infamously interrupted Swift's acceptance speech. The MAGA hat reference is tied to his vocal support of Donald Trump in 2018.

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Kanye West reflects on headlining the Super Bowl

Rapper lists three reasons he thinks he never hosted the halftime show (Image via X/@kanyewest)

According to Complex, Kanye West has never headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show, although he came close in the past. In 2015, he co-headlined a pre-Super Bowl concert alongside Rihanna in Glendale, Arizona.

The following year, fans pushed for him to perform at Super Bowl LI in 2017 by launching the #KanyeWestForSuperBowl51 campaign. However, the NFL selected Lady Gaga for that year's halftime performance.

Kanye West once praised Kendrick Lamar's Halftime Show, calling it his "favorite halftime show since like the Michael Jackson era," despite previously saying he doesn't enjoy Lamar's music. This comment suggests that Ye still holds respect for standout Super Bowl performances, even though he's never taken the stage himself, as reported by Complex.

Aside from his own controversies, Ye's rocky relationship with Jay-Z might be another reason he hasn’t been chosen. Jay-Z’s Roc Nation partners with the NFL and Apple Music to help select Halftime Show performers. With past public fallouts between the two artists, Ye's absence from the shortlist could be linked to unresolved personal issues behind the scenes, according to Complex.

At the same time as his Super Bowl tweet, Kanye West stirred rumors about his relationship with his wife, Bianca Censori. A track titled Bianca from his upcoming album WW3, released on April 3, includes lyrics that suggest the couple may be separated.

"Bianca, I just want you to come back," he raps. Another verse continues, "My baby she ran away, but first she tried to get me committed."

These lyrics follow a series of posts from Kanye West about heartbreak, betrayal, and loneliness, including a now-deleted message where he said:

"Until Bianca's back I stay up all night I'm not going to sleep. I really don't know where she's at."

On March 19, 2025, he dropped his surprise album Bully, which features his son Saint in a short film that introduced the project. His daughter North also contributed to another track titled Lonely Roads Still Go to Sunshine, which includes a feature from Sean "Diddy' Combs.