No, Taylor Swift did not turn down the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show

By  MARIA SHERMAN

NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift says she did not turn down the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, which will be headlined by Bad Bunny.

“The Life of a Showgirl” singer paid a visit to “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Monday and dispelled a few rumors. Most notably, she shared she did not turn down the NFL’s biggest stage because she wouldn’t be allowed to own the performance footage, as claimed in a popular internet rumor.

“No, no, no,” Swift said.

The Super Bowl halftime show is produced by the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation — the latter founded by music mogul Jay-Z.

“Jay-Z has always been very good to me. Our teams are really close. Like, they sometimes will call and say, ‘How does she feel about the Super Bowl?’ And that’s not like an official offer or, like, an official conference room conversation,” Swift told Fallon. “We’re always able to tell him the truth, which is that, like, I am in love with a guy who does that sport on that actual field,” she continued, referring to fiance Travis Kelce — a star tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and a Super Bowl champion.

“Like, that is violent chess. That is gladiators without swords. That is dangerous. The whole season I am locked in on what that man is doing on the field,” she said.

“Can you imagine if he’s out there every single week, like putting his life on the line, doing this very dangerous, very high pressure, high intensity sport and I’m like, ‘I wonder what my choreo(graphy) should be?,’” Swift joked.

“‘I think we should do two verses of ‘Shake It Off’ into ‘Blank Space’ into ‘Cruel Summer’ would be great.’ And this is nothing to do with Travis, he would love for me to do it, I’m just too locked in.”

Last month, it was announced that global superstar Bad Bunny will bring his Latin trap, reggaeton swagger and Puerto Rican pride to the Super Bowl live from Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.

It’s an ideal casting: Bad Bunny is fresh off a historic Puerto Rico residency that drew more than half a million fans and is leading all nominees at the Latin Grammys in November.

“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” Bad Bunny said in a statement. “It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history.”

On Saturday, Bad Bunny hosted the season 51 premiere of “Saturday Night Live” with a few jokes about his forthcoming Super Bowl halftime show.