Kid Rock Addresses Claims He Lip-Synched During the Alternative Turning Point USA Halftime Show

Super Bowl LVIII happened on February 8, 2026, with chart-topping rapper Bad Bunny announced as the headliner for the event. Following the news, Turning Point USA launched its own alternative show, billed as the "All-American Halftime Show," featuring country-rock artist Kid Rock as the main attraction. Now that it's aired, he's been accused of lip-syncing, following reports that the entire show was pre-taped.

There has been much said about the Turning Point USA alternative to the Bad Bunny halftime show. One of them is that the lead act, Kid Rock, didn't seem to be singing his songs and instead lip-synced to a backing track. The singer appearedon Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle" on February 9 to address the claims regarding his performance.

Per US Weekly, Kid Rock told the host, "My DJ, who actually raps that song with me, was not lit up. I’m jumping around the stage like a rabid monkey, rapping my song, and I’m taking breaths, and my DJ is filling in the other parts of it." After that, Kid Rock confirmed they had pre-taped the show, saying, "I even told them when I saw the rough cut, I was like, 'You guys got to work on that sync. '" It’s off.'"

He continued, "So it was just a syncing issue that they had, and I know they tried to get it right. It was very difficult."

While on "The Ingraham Angle," Kid Rock also addressed the Super Bowl Halftime show, giving his opinion on Bad Bunny's performance. According to him, "I saw there’s a lot of dancers and a lot of big to-do stuff. And, you know, he said he wanted to have a dance party. It looked like he had one."

Kid Rock added, "Not my cup of tea, but I don’t fault that kid for doing the Super Bowl, getting in front of a global audience. I fault the NFL for putting him in that position and Turning Point for having to come out and have an alternative for people to watch. You know, it’s just … poor kid."

It goes without saying that many who tuned in for Turning Point USA's alternative halftime show were pleased with what they saw. Still, this doesn't stop some online for questioning Kid Rock's story. The account Listener on X said, "Unbelievably Kid Rock lip-synched the whole show, here is a video of him putting the microphone down several times as lyrics kept going. What a republican rip off."

Someone else said, "Kid Rock with the worst and most obvious lip syncing performance since Milli Vanilli and Ashlee Simpson. Did he come to the event after running late because the family picnic went too long? Cause those shorts scream rockstar." Another person wrote, "Milli Vanilli was a much better lip sync’er than Kid Rock….his performance was AWFUL & EMBARRASSING."

Another person noted, "Kid Rock's lip movements and vocals were way off, vocals continued when the mic was at his waist, and his lips stopped moving."

There have been several reports on the viewership of the Turning Point USA Halftime Show. However, according to USA Today, the show had around five million concurrent viewers just after 8 p.m. EST. This number increased at points during the broadcast, with in additon to Kid Rock, featured artists such as Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert, and Gabby Barrett.

The specific filming location for the event is unknown, but it is believed to have taken place in Atlanta, Georgia. The show lasted for about 35 minutes and featured a tribute to Charlie Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA.

The Trump Administration made it clear that it didn't support Bad Bunny performing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Because of this, most assumed that Donald Trump would watch the Turning Point USA option instead. However, according to PEOPLE, this doesn't seem to be the case, as photos surfaced of Trump at a watch party with the official halftime show on the screen.

Many shared clips online of the president in the room while Bad Bunny performed, including one from Patriot Takes on X. Still, after seeing the show, Trump didn't mence worse regarding his disdain for what he witnessed.