Bad Bunny's Super Bowl paycheck: What halftime performers really get paid

Bad Bunny set the halftime stage at Super Bowl LX on fire as the latest artist roped in to perform at the popular sporting event.

With the production scale of the newly wrapped up show, which featured a real wedding and several starry cameos, the cost of the dazzling ordeal is worth considering.

Did Bad Bunny really get paid the big bucks to make the Super Bowl crowd dance along to his tunes? The answer is a little more complex than a simple yes or no.

Official NFL policy

According to an NFL spokesperson’s statement, reported by Forbes in 2016, the league does “not pay the artists.”

“We cover expenses and production costs,” the representative said.

Notably, it was further reported that artists usually consider a Super Bowl halftime gig as an opportunity for ample exposure.

Entertainment attorney Lori Landew told the same publication in 2019 that “the Super Bowl remains a highly coveted spot for many artists.”

“Some of those artists do not see their appearance as a political statement, nor do they see the show as a cultural battleground, but rather view their live performance as an opportunity to entertain an enthusiastic crowd and to share their music and their talent with millions of viewers.”

The Katy Perry deal

While E! News noted that the NFL are required to pay the performers “a minimum, union-required fee”, there has been one stunning instance when an artist was offered to perform the show in return for a payment to the NFL.

Back in 2015, Katy Perry was given the choice to pay her way at the Super Bowl. However, the singer-songwriter skipped the financial stipulation to establish merit.

“I don’t want an asterisk by my name for playing the Super Bowl for the rest of my life,” she told Forbes at the time. “I want to be able to say I played the Super Bowl based on my talents and my merit, thank you very much.”