Taylor Swift Refused To Perform At The Super Bowl Unless These 3 Demands Were Met
Swift knows her worth, and she's not afraid to walk away when others aren't offering what she deserves.
Everett Collection | Shutterstock This morning, after months of speculation, it was confirmed that the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show will be headlined by rapper Bad Bunny. The news came as a bit of a surprise to some fans, as names like Adele, Miley Cyrus, and, yes, even Taylor Swift, had been floated around.
Many Swifties hoped this would finally be the year that they would get to watch their favorite artist perform in one of the most iconic shows in the world, but it wasn’t to be. Apparently, in yet another boss lady move from Swift, she understood just how much a show featuring her would be worth, and she wasn’t willing to settle for anything less than what she believed she deserved.
Taylor Swift made three demands for performing at the Super Bowl, and the NFL wouldn’t meet them.
It’s no secret that the NFL has been interested in Swift playing the halftime show. This interest has only intensified since Swift began dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Once they made their relationship official, Swift became a regular fixture at Chiefs games, including the 2024 and 2025 Super Bowls, per ABC News.
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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about the possibility of Swift performing at the halftime show earlier this month on the Today Show, according to Reuters. “We would always love to have Taylor play. She is a special, special talent, and obviously she would be welcome at any time,” he said. When pressed further, he ambiguously admitted, “It’s a maybe.”
Entertainment journalist Rob Shuter was the first to break the news that Swift had turned down the gig on his Substack. Shuter explained that the halftime show performers aren’t actually paid by the NFL. In some ways, it makes sense because it’s really the biggest show in the world. But when you’re at Swift’s level, you don’t really depend on people tuning in and discovering your music.
In addition to being paid, Swift also wanted to own the rights to her performance and use the iconic Super Bowl commercials to promote her work.
However, writing for Complex, Bernadette Giacomazzo insisted that the fact she wouldn’t be paid was the “sticking point” for Swift. “Of course, the NFL has long defended its position by pointing to the massive audience — over 100 million viewers — treating the platform as payment in itself,” she noted. “For many artists, that tradeoff has been enough. But for Swift, whose Eras Tour has already broken records worldwide, insiders say the platform offered little incentive without concrete control over her own show.”
A music executive revealed to Shuter that Swift’s demands weren’t astronomical. “She wasn’t asking for favors, she was asking for respect,” they said. “Taylor knows her worth. She knows the kind of ratings she brings, the global attention she commands. She wasn’t about to hand that over for free.”
Another source, whom Shuter described as an “industry veteran,” pointed out what everyone pretty much already knew. “She doesn’t need the Super Bowl,” they stated. “But the Super Bowl absolutely needs her. Without Taylor, it’s just another halftime show.”
As one of the biggest artists in the world, it’s true that Swift doesn’t really need the Super Bowl.
With a net worth of $1.6 billion, Swift is confirmed to be the richest female musician in the world by Forbes. Much of that wealth no doubt came from Swift’s huge Eras Tour, which grossed $2 billion, according to Business Insider. Her production company, Taylor Swift Touring, said more than 10 billion fans attended the Eras Tour.
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With that kind of influence, she certainly doesn’t need the viewers the Super Bowl could offer. They look almost paltry in comparison, really. Some will surely make the point that Swift is not hurting for money and doesn’t need to be paid for her performance, and they would have a fair argument. But, Swift is nothing if not a shrewd businesswoman.
She is simply standing up for herself and what she deserves. If a male artist did the same, it’s likely that no one would bat an eye.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
