Random Most Controversial Super Bowl Halftime Shows In History (10 items)

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  (#10) In 2004, 'Nipplegate' Shocked Audiences And Led To The Founding Of YouTube

  The Super Bowl halftime show in 2004 marked both a bitter ending and a new beginning - just as Janet Jackson gave the performance that stifled her career and MTV lost its rights to produce any future NFL events, a trio in Silicon Valley found the inspiration to found YouTube. 

  Near the concert's end, Jackson partnered with pop star Justin Timberlake to perform "Rock Your Body." As the song ended with the lines: "Gonna have you naked by the end of this song," Timberlake reached across Jackson's chest and ripped the front of her top, exposing a pierced nipple in the process. Though Timberlake publicly apologized for the incident and went on to perform at a later halftime show, Jackson's refusal to comment on what became known as a "wardrobe malfunction" put a halt to her career. 

  Though the exposure was deemed an accident, Jackson's tailor confirmed that he had been contacted before the show to alter her outfit for the show, and a Houston piercer confirmed that he had sold the nipple piercing displayed on national television to one of Jackson's representatives in the days leading up to the notorious performance. 

  Still, it was the early 2000s, long before videos were widely available for public access on the internet. Anyone who missed the original airing of the performance only got a censored version shared through news outlets or missed "Nipplegate" entirely. The fact that there was no easy way to find footage of the incident, which was such a huge part of pop culture at the time, led techies Chad Hurley, Steve Cehn, and Jawed Karim to build an online platform for video sharing - the website that would become YouTube.
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  (#2) In 1995, Disney Used The Entire Performance To Advertise Their New Indiana Jones Ride

  Hoping to draw in viewers and keep them engaged no matter their interest in football or the score between the two teams on the field, NFL executives knew that they needed a big production for the 1995 Super Bowl halftime show. Only a few companies were capable of funding such a grand performance - one of them being Disney. Since Disneyland was building a new Indiana Jones-themed roller coaster at the time, the two corporations joined forces to create a spectacle worthy of the big screen… or so they thought. 

  The spectacle included crooners Patti LaBelle and Tony Bennett, skydivers, live pythons, lasers, an assortment of instruments that ranged from tribal drums to a keytar, and a man who was lit on fire. The performance followed an intriguing narrative, consisting of an evil witch stealing the Lombardi trophy. At the same time, Indiana Jones, who is at a Moroccan nightclub, attempts to retrieve the coveted Super Bowl prize. 

  The inevitable Indiana Jones-themed fighting scenes were seen live in front of up-close cameras, giving television viewers a clear picture of the punches and strikes that were not even close to hitting the karate school volunteers who played the villains on stage. Though LaBelle understood the possible negative consequences of trying to perform live in such a setting, Bennett refused to lip sync his numbers and botched the opening of his song. 

  Also, the trophy was too heavy a prop to be tossed around from stuntman to stuntman, and the camera also caught the visible struggle participants had to pretend to hit people over the head with the stolen prize. 

  Finally, the show bizarrely ended with The Lion King's “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” and a pyrotechnic spectacle that took minutes for the smoke to clear. 
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  (#8) In 2012, M.I.A. Was Sued $16.6 Million For Her Performance

  In 2012, the NFL sued British rapper M.I.A. for briefly flipping the bird during "Give Me All Your Luvin" alongside Madonna at Super Bowl XLVI. 

  M.I.A., who had a top 100 US Billboard hit with "Paper Planes," was under Roc Nation and Jay-Z's management at the time. Though the organization initially only sued for $1.5 million a few months after the show, the NFL later tacked another $15 million two years later.

  According to the rapper, Jay-Z felt she should accept the offer, which would ultimately relinquish 100% of her earnings to the NFL if she ever made over $2 million. At the time, no artist had ever stood up to the NFL, and M.I.A. eventually settled the lawsuit in 2014 for an undisclosed amount. Notably, the artist also left Roc Nation and hired her own lawyers to represent her in the case.

  M.I.A. reflected on the experience: 

  If you're talking about racism and sexism, that moment in my life showed the cracks in everyone I knew… The lawsuit was so ridiculous… They [Roc Nation] thought the best way to solve that was to sign on the dotted line to whatever terms the NFL wanted to put on me, which was basically to be a lifelong slave forever and to give 100% of my earnings until I die… 

  Somebody thought that was okay to write only in 2013. And it happened because you're a woman - a brown woman - and you did something very silly. And it was so threatening that the punishment for it was to basically lock you into this thing forever.
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  (#4) In 2000, The Show Featured A-List Artists Who Didn't Perform Any Of Their Own Songs

  With a stellar line-up consisting of Christina Aguilera, Tina Turner, Enrique Iglesias, Tony Braxton, and Phil Collins, the 2000 halftime show should've been the concert of the millennium. Instead, it proved to be one massive disappointment. 

  As the last Super Bowl performance ever sponsored by Disney, the group took the stage not to perform their obvious, crowd-pleasing hits but songs that no one knew or recognized. In an attempt to harness the spirit of global unity, the stage was filled with massive props and dancers who supposedly represented different cultures with their inauthentic wardrobes. Songs were written specifically for the performance - including "Celebrate the Future Hand in Hand."

  Instead of an epic performance that got the live and television audiences singing and dancing, viewers were presented with a dull and somewhat confusing show. To bring the production to a close, actor Edward James Olmos delivered a serious speech urging global peace and ending with: 

  Go now and celebrate your dreams as the magic of the millennium continues to bring us together.
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  (#7) Red Hot Chili Peppers

  • Band/Musician

  The Red Hot Chili Peppers usually pride themselves on putting on heartfelt, improvised shows for their fans. However, the band surprisingly agreed when the NFL requested that the band pre-record the bass, drums, and lead guitar for their performance alongside Bruno Mars in 2014. 

  Fans were outraged by the faked spectacle (it wasn't hard to tell, since the guitars were not plugged into any sound system). Guitarist Flea later reported that he and his bandmates decided not to pretend that they were playing live because they weren't interested in deceiving the audience- therefore, they chose not to plug in their instruments. 

  Still, the performance was a unique version of their hit song, "Give it Away," as the band pre-recorded it specifically for the halftime performance. Singer Anthony Kiedis also performed the lyrics live. 
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  (#6) New Kids on the Block

  • Band/Musician

  Despite being one of the biggest pop groups of the era, the New Kids on the Block put on such a terrible performance at the 1991 Super Bowl that ABC chose to air news coverage of the Gulf War during the halftime broadcast. Fans and curious viewers couldn't witness the mediocre concert until after the Super Bowl game had ended. 

  Instead of keeping the crowd exhilarated and loud through the game's intermission, the boy band chose to play a number of slow songs followed by a rendition of “It's A Small World.” (To be fair, the performance was done in collaboration with Disney; this wasn't a spontaneous decision by the group.)

  While those who attended the game witnessed the boring show, those watching from home were instead met with a statement by President George H.W. Bush concerning the ongoing war. 

  While the less-than-stellar performance didn't earn itself the traditional halftime air time, it did set the premise for modern Superbowl performances. Before the New Kids on the Block, halftime was reserved for more traditional marching bands and commentary of the game. 

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