Super Bowl Fans Outraged Over Justin Bieber

Music fans were hoping to see Justin Bieber make a surprise appearance during Usher's Super Bowl halftime show, but were sadly disappointed.

They took to X, formerly Twitter to complain that the Canadian singer did not come out during Usher's performance.

Usher headlined at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium on Sunday during the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.

Many had expected Bieber to be a surprise guest, given the pair's long history. Usher signed a teenage Bieber to his record label in 2009 and they have collaborated many times since.

usher and justin bieber
Usher (left) and Justin Bieber on September 17, 2011, in Atlanta. Fans are angered Usher did not bring out Bieber during his Super Bowl halftime show. Ben Rose/WireImage

Bieber did attend the game in Las Vegas, with people spotting him in the crowd, but many had hoped to see him singing on stage.

"justin bieber sitting in his chair knowing everyone is expecting him to jump onto that stage with his purple supras," wrote one person on X.

Another added: "bought paramount+ to see justin bieber perform for justin bieber not to perform."

And a third wrote: "usher brought all those people on stage and not one of them was justin bieber."

During his performance, Usher stripped off and rollerbladed, also treating fans to several classics including "My Boo," "Burn" and "U Got it Bad", before finishing the show with his mega-hit "Yeah."

The 45-year-old was accompanied by a number of music superstars during his 15-minute set including Alicia Keys, will.i.am, Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon, Ludacris and H.E.R.

Usher told Newsweek after his show that he was happy the performance went down so well with viewers.

"I was not exaggerating when I shared with the world that my performance would be a celebration of the past 30 years of my career," he said in a statement. "I will never forget the energy from the cast and crew, the fans in the stadium, the guest performers and the adrenaline from this monumental milestone in my career. I'm so happy everyone enjoyed it, my goal always is to bring people together and feel good through my music and performance."

Prior to the Super Bowl, Usher spoke about how challenging it was to condense his long career into a 15-minute performance.

"It's been a challenge to squeeze 30 years into 13 minutes," he told media on Thursday, adding that he had asked himself, "'What songs do people know me for, what songs have been a celebration of all of the journey?'"

Update: 02/12/2024 5:56 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go