Is Kid Rock paying tribute to Charlie Kirk during Super Bowl? Viral NFL announcement claim debunked

New rumors about a 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show tribute performance for Charlie Kirk are circulating on social media. 

An unverified claim in a recent Facebook post suggests that Kid Rock will honor the late founder and CEO of Turning Point USA (TPUSA). The unconfirmed rumor appeared on Rockers Unleashed, a page with 7.6K followers, that read: 

“NFL Confirms Super Bowl Tribute to Charlie Kirk with Country Rock Icon Kid Rock — A Halftime Performance That Will Shake America.” 

The original poster used an AI-generated image of the country rock icon and shared a link to a third-party blog that made the same assertion. However, the NFL has not made any announcement about Kid Rock being roped in to pay a tribute to Charlie Kirk. The claim made by Rockers Unleashed is false. 

Furthermore, many similar posts with fake claims and AI-generated images have gone viral in the past few weeks. Another such post, appearing on the Facebook page Together We Rise, claimed that artists like Dolly Parton, George Strait, Vince Gill, and Reba McEntire had refused to pay tribute to Charlie Kirk at the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show. 

The claim about the country music legends is also untrue, as the NFL has not announced a special segment dedicated to the late conservative activist. While TPUSA has confirmed broadcasting counterprogramming to the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the organization has yet to unveil the performer(s). 

TPUSA announces “All American Halftime Show,” but did not confirm a Charlie Kirk tribute segment

On Thursday, October 9, Turning Point USA officially confirmed its counterprogramming to the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show. The organization tweeted about its All American Halftime Show, which will be broadcast on February 8, 2026, and will rival Bad Bunny’s performance. Andrew Colt, TPUSA spokesperson, told Snopes in an email:

“Turning Point USA is thrilled to host ‘The All American Halftime Show’ where we will celebrate faith, family, and freedom. Already, within hours of making the announcement, this has been one of the most instantaneous and overwhelming responses to an event in our organization's history.” 

The statement continues: 

“This is clearly something the country wanted to see happen, and we're excited to deliver. We look forward to uniting the country around the timeless American values that make this the greatest country in the world.”

Bad Bunny’s announcement as Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner has garnered mixed reactions. After the NFL confirmed the Puerto Rican, many fake news stories also erupted on social media claiming that different celebrities have criticized the decision. An AI-generated post also mentioned Kid Rock slamming Bad Bunny, but Lead Stories later debunked it. 

While Kid Rock has not said anything about the NUEVAYoL artist, he shared his opinion on the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show performance by Kendrick Lamar. In a February episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, the All Summer Long performer said:  

“I mean, to put it nicely, it wasn't my cup of tea, but I got to respect it, and here's why. You know, I grew up loving, emulating hip-hop. All things hip-hop. Breakdancing, deejaying, graffiti, rapping. And so I understand the culture a little bit more than most, and when I say most, of course, I mean white people.” 

He continued:

“Watching it, I'm like, you know, after there's a lot of things going through your head, you know, everyone's like, ‘that sucks,’ this, that, and the other. I'm like, ‘This kid pretty much came out figuratively with both middle fingers in the air doing what he does for the people who love what he does unapologetically.’ And I don't think he gives a frog's fat a**  what anyone thinks about it.” 

When Bill Maher pointed out that Kendrick’s attitude is akin to that of Kid Rock’s, the musician replied affirmatively and stated that’s how he built his career and concluded, “I got to respect it.”