Usher has been unveiled as the performer at the 2024 Superbowl Halftime show, taking the reins from this year’s headliner, Rihanna. News of the R&B crooner’s Halftime slot made the rounds on Sept. 24 2023, via a series of promotional videos shared by the Superbowl’s sponsor, Apple Music.
The clips see Usher answer numerous phone calls from celebrities like Kim Kardashian and football stars Deion Sanders, Odell Beckham Jr., and Marshawn Lynch, each of whom inform the singer of the exciting news. Usher will take to the stage at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium in February of next year, with a career-spanning setlist no-doubt already in the works.
There is some context behind the starry promotional videos used to announce Usher’s upcoming Superbowl show, with Kardashian’s involvement going beyond just her status as a marketing and publicity behemoth. So, why exactly was the reality TV star the one to break the news to Usher, and what is the pair’s history?
What does Kim Kardashian have to do with Usher’s upcoming Superbowl performance?
Even the most eagle-eyed of fans might’ve scratched their heads at Kardashian’s appearance in Usher’s Superbowl announcement. The clip opens with Usher as he receives a call while writing in the studio, before trying to rush Kardashian off the phone so he can “get this line down.”
After some back-and-forth banter, Kardashian informs Usher of the details of his performance, and asks the singer where she can score tickets before being abruptly hung up on. The key moment in the video which explains Kardashian’s appearance is when she reveals that she’s seen Usher perform in Vegas twice.
This revelation is true, and explains why Kardashain might’ve been approached to announce the news, given her bonafide status as an Usher super-fan. Last year, Kardashian travelled to Las Vegas to attend an Usher concert in celebration of her 42nd birthday, before the trip was derailed due to unsafe flying conditions.
Noting her absence at the show, Usher posted a message to Kardashian on his social media, writing that she is welcome to any of his concerts “whenever you want to come.” Six months later in early-2023, Kardashian made good on her promise by attending Usher’s show at the Park MGM this past April.
“The Usher concert is fire,” Kardashian wrote on Instagram at the time. “Finally made it to see Usher.” National World reports that Usher approached Kardashian during the show, telling concert-goers he was glad she “finally made it.”
While Kardashian’s concert history goes some way in explaining her feature in the Superbowl announcement, perhaps the folks at Apple were equally interested in capatializing on the star’s ability to grab headlines merely by breathing to ensure a popular 2024 halftime show.
Usher has some “Confessions”
Equally as attention-grabbing as Kardashian’s appearance in the halftime show announcement is the callback reference to Usher’s past discography. Longtime Usher fans would have noticed that the promotional videos are edited versions of the music video for his 2004 song, “Confessions Part II.”
That video features the very same footage of Usher answering the phone while working in the studio, with Kardashian’s replies spliced together to create a whole new scene. The throwback clips explain why Usher looks much younger (though he notoriously doesn’t seem to age), and perhaps hint that much of his halftime set will feature nostalgic classics like “Yeah!” and “Love in this Club.”
This career-spanning approach was adopted by Rihanna last year, who used her monumental Superbowl slot to revive old classics like “S&M” as well as revealing her second pregnancy.
Kim’s previous Superbowl credits
The Usher announcement marks the most recent time Kardashian has been involved in Superbowl promotion. In 2015, the star earned a much-coveted appearance in one of that year’s Superbowl ads, playing a satirical version of herself in a hilarious commercial for T-Mobile. She later appeared in another Superbowl ad for McDonald’s in 2020.
The reality TV star seems intent on showcasing her acting chops of late, having appeared as a castmate in the current season of American Horror Story: Delicate opposite Emma Roberts. Kardashian plays a publicist in the 12th installment of the anthology, and has surprisingly garnered praise for her performance from both fans and critics alike.