How Much Does The Super Bowl Halftime Show Cost

When it comes to money and the NFL, most of the focus tends to be on how much money NFL players make if they win the Super Bowl or, if you're the gambling type, how much money you should bet on the Super Bowl. However, the Super Bowl halftime show can be an extremely expensive event, with everything from special effects to set design to miscellaneous add-ons to consider for each performance. With the NFL recently announcing that the headliner for the upcoming 2026 Super Bowl Halftime show would be Bad Bunny — a decision that has sparked controversy due to the singer's outspoken stance on ICE raids, and subsequent ire from conservative talking heads who tend to forget how illegal immigration actually affects Social Security and other government programs — you might be surprised to learn not just how expensive the show is, but how much Bad Bunny will be paid for his work.

While halftime shows don't always live up to expectations, the cost of curating and managing the programming for the spectacle might surprise you. According to Bolavip, full package performances between 2001 and 2017 — including dancers, fireworks, LED screens, and multiple stages — have cost as much as between $10 and $13 million. That also includes pay for up to 3,000 staffers who physically handle the production. The performers however — who are generally shortlisted by the league based on popularity, marketability, and even the makeup of the host city — don't tend to get any of that budget.

Bad Bunny isn't likely to make more than the basic union scale minimum for his performance — if the history of Super Bowl halftime performances are any indication. For even the biggest performers in the world, per Sports Illustrated, that could be as little as the $1,800 Usher was paid to attend rehearsals, plus the $671 he was actually paid for the final performance. In fact, artists like the Weeknd have even helped to cover the costs of their halftime performances — something he supposedly did in 2021 with over $7 million out of his own pocket for additional staging and effects. This is partially due to financial limitations placed on productions by both the NFL and Apple Music. Plus, it's not just the headline performer that gets short-changed, with some back up dancers having previously worked halftime shows for anything from free to just $712 on show day.

According to Esquire, the pay off for artists instead comes in the form of exposure bucks. For example, Justin Timberlake saw sales of his music catalogue skyrocket 534% the day of his halftime performance, while Lady Gaga saw digital sales of her music rise 1,000% the day of her Super Bowl performance. So, although the Super Bowl is raking in more money from ads than ever before, the stars of the halftime show can only capitalize on their performances after the big game.