The Super Bowl halftime show attracts over 100 million viewers annually. A striking image featuring two sets of gleaming teeth facing off with the Apple Music logo and “Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show” at the center has ignited speculation across social media.

Although the poster itself dates back to Super Bowl LVII (in 2023), it features Rihanna‘s performance from that event.

Fans are drawing new connections and using them to fuel rumors about the 2026 halftime headliner. Fans are floating Miley Cyrus as the most prominent name.

The buzz began after a viral post on X suggested that Apple Music’s marketing hints could align with Miley’s bold aesthetic and past stage personas.

Fans point to her edgy performances and crossover appeal as a perfect fit for the NFL’s global showcase. The “teeth” imagery in the circulated poster has even been interpreted as a nod to Miley’s unpredictable and sometimes provocative style.

At this point, no official confirmation has been given by the NFL, Apple Music, or Miley Cyrus’s representatives.

The league typically announces its halftime acts closer to the event, and the 2026 Super Bowl is still months away. Speculation surges as Miley’s live-broadcast experience and genre-spanning hits appeal to the Super Bowl’s diverse audience.

“The Super Bowl is a rare moment to unite fans around the world, and this year’s performers will bring the energy, soul, and vibrant sounds of the region to a global stage, as we kickoff Super Bowl LIX with a celebration to remember,” NFL head of music Seth Dudowsky said in a release in 2025 after Super Bowl LIX was a success.

For now, it remains a case of wishful thinking and viral speculation rather than confirmed news. But for anyone who’d be taking up that mantle, they’d have a hard act to follow up after the 2025 year’s halftime show.

Kendrick Lamar redefined the Super Bowl halftime show

On February 9, 2025, Kendrick Lamar headlined the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, a performance that quickly became one of the most talked-about in Super Bowl history.

Lamar delivered a set that blended spectacle and social commentary. He hit it off with,

“You picked the right time but the wrong guy.”

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The show opened dramatically, with actor Samuel L. Jackson appearing as Uncle Sam, declaring,

“This is the great American game,” framing the performance as more than just entertainment.

Lamar stood on a black 1987 Buick GNX for his opening number, and several songs from his 2024 album GNX, including “Squabble Up,” featured prominently in the setlist. Guest appearances with SZA for “Luther” and “All the Stars,” and Serena Williams made a cameo on the field.

Although the fans and the hip-hop industry perceived the visual staging as a pop towards Drake by Lamar. K-Dot enlisted Drake’s ex-partners SZA and Serena Williams to assert dominance over their industry rivalry.

Earlier in the show, Kendrick teased, “I wanna perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue,” nodding to Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group.

He won five Grammys, making ‘Not Like Us’ a cultural fixture.

But the halftime show painted Drake as a disposable henchman and America as the ultimate adversary.

While reactions were mixed, some applauded his artistry and daring, while others wished for more classic hits. Lamar used the stage to cement hip-hop’s place in the American mainstream and redefine the halftime show.