Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show drew a record-breaking 133.5 million viewers, but it didn’t escape controversy. Mainly because, despite the number of eyeballs on it, the performance was a trainwreck.
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) received 125 complaints about the performance.
Critics took issue with everything from “inappropriate” lyrics and “raunchy” dance moves to perceived “anti-American” themes, TMZ reports.
Some were even griping about Kendrick’s subtle jabs at Drake amid their ongoing feud, though only a handful of the complaints focused on that beef.
After analyzing all 125 complaints, TMZ said, “The overwhelming majority of them felt it was far from a family-friendly experience.”
Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime Performance
The Compton rapper’s set, featuring SZA, Serena Williams, and Samuel L. Jackson, leaned heavily on provocative visuals, which some found offensive.
Others slammed the performer lineup as exclusionary. Some of the complaints even addressed Serena Williams’ dance performance.
Williams made a surprise cameo during Kendrick Lamar’s show, raising more than a few eyebrows by performing the ‘crip walk.’
The ‘crip walk’ is associated with the Crips street gang and the notorious area of Compton, California. Williams performed the move while Lamar performed his Drake diss track “Not Like Us.”
One FCC complaint criticized the Drake song itself, saying Lamar used the Super Bowl moment to focus on a “personal vendetta.”
Still, with over 133 million tuning in, those 125 complaints are a tiny blip—suggesting Kendrick’s bold, unapologetic show hit the mark for most, even if it ruffled a few feathers.
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show featuring ‘Not Like Us’ Drake diss, Serena Williams sparks 125 FCC complaints: ‘This is a sad day’ https://t.co/15R3o2bnmZ pic.twitter.com/qwC6rTZGNG
— New York Post (@nypost) March 26, 2025
RELATED: Serena Williams Causes Controversy With Gang-Related ‘Crip Walk’ At Super Bowl Halftime Show
FCC Complaints Galore
Kendrick Lamar might have been a bit of a surprise selection for the Super Bowl halftime performance. He hadn’t released a new album since 2022’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.
He did, however, have a significant year with his track “Not Like Us” gaining traction due to the high-profile musical feud with Drake. The song is a diss track for the perpetually sports-cursed Drake.
Sports analyst Jason Whitlock previously denounced Lamar’s appearance at the Super Bowl in 2022.
“(G)angsta rappers are not appropriate for Super Bowl halftime,” Whitlock said.
Lamar’s music, he suggested, is more appropriate to “be ingested in the privacy of your headphones.”
The FCC probably should have known that.
Aside from winning the Pulitzer—the first musician outside of the classical and jazz genres to be honored in such a manner—Lamar has also won 17 Grammy Awards.
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