Rihanna’s 2023 Super Bowl Performance Rihanna’s 2023 Super Bowl Performance

The era of a comeback or a drawback? The era of a comeback or a drawback?

rubbing her baby bump. She was joined on stage by scores of her backup dancers also donning puffer white coats as the stage was backlit by radiant rays of red, magenta, pink, and violet lights.

The fact that Rihanna even made an appearance at all is indicative of the N.F.L.'s ability in enacting — or papering — over its scandals. She refused to perform at the Super Bowl in 2019, a time when refusing a performance on one of the largest stages in the world was definitely political, in response to the NFL's response to Colin Kaepernick's protest. But, Jay-Roc Z's Nation's participation with the league in the years that followed completely changed the musical style and social context of the halftime show!