BRIDGEWATER, Va. – Some Bridgewater students tuned into the Turning Point USA All-American Halftime Show during the NFL Super Bowl on Feb. 8.
TPUSA is a nonprofit organization with a stated goal to “identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government.”
The “All-American Halftime Show” was livestreamed during the Super Bowl halftime window, lasting 30 minutes.
The NFL announced the selection of Bad Bunny for their official halftime show on September 28, 2025.
The New York Post stated that President Trump reacted to this choice, stating, “I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible.”
TPUSA announced its decision to livestream the All-American Halftime Show on October 9, 2025.
There is no official statement in which TPUSA publicly bashed the NFL’s choice of Bad Bunny for the Super Bowl performance.
“We set out to provide an entertainment option that will be fun, excellent, and exciting for the entire family while millions are gathered together for the big game,” spokesman Andrew Kolvet stated in a press release from TPUSA.
In an article published by Billboard, Kid Rock stated that none of the performers were “approaching this with any hate in our hearts.”
Brantly Gilbert stated in a Billboard article, “I respect that some people may see this differently, but I’m not playing this show to be divisive. I was offered this opportunity and imagined my kids watching their daddy perform at halftime during the biggest game in American Football.”
Erika Kirk, wife of the late TPUSA founder, Charlie Kirk, told CMF she thinks Charlie would have loved the event. “What better way to honor him than to just get in the middle of this and be able to offer an alternative to families,” said Kirk.
The lineup included four performers, including Brantley Gilbert, Gabby Barrett, Lee Brice, and Kid Rock. The artists sang primarily country music with the addition of Kid Rock’s rap-rock song.
The show was pre-recorded before the event was streamed, offering a different type of viewing experience.
“I think you don’t get that live experience because it was a pre-recorded thing, and so it was a different kind of performance than what you see in a normal halftime show,” BC student Kaelyn Ramsey said.
According to the TPUSA website, the performance was streamed through the TPUSA YouTube channel. USA Today reported that 5 million people viewed the alternative halftime show on YouTube.
Ramsey said she believes that there could have been a better title for the show, rather than calling it the “All-American Halftime Show”.
“I don’t think it was All-American,” Ramsey said. “Brantley Gilbert sang one song that was patriotic, and then the rest of them were just people singing their own songs.”
The alternative halftime show followed a concert-style format, with artists performing individual sets rather than a single collaborative performance. Because the show was pre-recorded, it did not feature live audience shots like a typical NFL halftime broadcast.
Another BC student viewer, Aidan Anderson, said at times the sound coming from the streaming service did not match up with what the performer was singing, causing him to see production as dull.
“I would say overall the music was nice to listen to, so that met my expectations, but their performance was a little bit lackluster,” Anderson said.
Anderson said he was able to watch both halftime shows simultaneously. He and his friends watched one on the TV and the other on their phones.