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Rihanna, Not Taylor Swift, Gets Super Bowl Halftime Show, Jay Z Retains Firm Grip on Production

By Roger Friedman

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Rihanna is back. It’s been six years or more since her last album. She had a baby, and became a fashion icon.

But now Rihanna has been confirmed as the star of the Super Bowl halftime show. Rumors of Taylor Swift doing it did not pan out.

This means that Jay Z and his Roc Nation management still have a firm hold on the SuperBowl despite the changeover from Pepsi to Apple Music as sponsor.

If Rihanna’s doing the show, it likely means she has a new album for 2023. I think she’s now gone beyond Adele for longest stretch between albums.

I love Rihanna’s voice. I know that “Work” song will be a big deal at the Super Bowl but I hope she gets to belt out some tunes. If she brings Eminem out to do “Monster,” there will be fireworks.

Welcome back, Rihanna!

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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