Kid Rock has been ridiculed on social media after appearing to lip-sync during his Turning Point USA (TPUSA) half-time show, a conservative alternative to the official Super Bowl performance by Bad Bunny. The 55-year-old musician headlined the event, which was broadcast on YouTube at the same time as Bad Bunny's star-studded set at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
Footage from the show shows Kid Rock lowering his microphone while a pre-recorded version of his 1999 hit 'Bawitdaba' continued to play, with his mouth often not matching the audio. Critics online accused him of blatant miming, with one user calling it 'a complete and utter embarrassment'. Another wrote: 'Kid Rock couldn't even be bothered to sing live. Instead, some truly awful lip-syncing.'
The alternative half-time show was organised by TPUSA, a far-right group founded by the late commentator Charlie Kirk, after conservative criticism of Bad Bunny's selection. Kid Rock, a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, said the event was designed for 'people who love America, love football, love Jesus' and claimed that right-wing views are under-represented in entertainment.
Despite support from the White House, which reposted a video of the performance, and praise from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said his family tuned in, viewership figures were starkly lower. The TPUSA show peaked at 6.1 million viewers, compared with an estimated 120 million who watched Bad Bunny. A YouGov poll later found that 35 per cent of Americans preferred Bad Bunny's performance, versus 28 per cent for Kid Rock.
President Trump also weighed in, branding the official Super Bowl show 'absolutely terrible' and 'one of the worst, EVER!' on Truth Social. The Super Bowl itself saw the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13 to claim their second-ever title.
