Taylor Swift reportedly refused Super Bowl performance after NFL denied major request

Taylor Swift’s supposed talks about a Super Bowl performance reportedly fell through after the NFL allegedly denied the singer's 'major request'.

In another universe, Swifties would be rejoicing at the news of the singer headlining the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime show in February 2026; however, that is not the case.

On September 28, the NFL announced that Bad Bunny would take the Halftime stage, making him the first Puerto Rican-born artist to headline the event.

The rapper, whose full name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is understandably excited about this milestone and issued a statement following the news.

He said: "What I'm feeling goes beyond myself. It's for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown.

"This is for my people, my culture, and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL. (Go and tell grandma that we will be the HALFTIME SHOW of the Super Bowl).”

Swift and NFL couldn't agree on this one thing (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

However, other acts, including Swift, were considered frontrunners, and there was some speculation floating around that the 35-year-old could be filling the slot.

That, and the fact that NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, extended an open invitation to Swift, as he said on the Today Show: "We would always love to have Taylor play. She is a special, special talent and obviously, she would be welcome at any time."

He also shimmied around, confirming whether a Swift performance was 'in the works', as he continued: "I can’t tell you anything about that. It’s a maybe."

However, it was journalist Rob Shuter who claimed that the potential partnership didn't work out, as the NFL and Swift, who is now engaged to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, allegedly couldn’t come to an agreement on performance footage.

According to WCNC, Swift allegedly wished to 'retain ownership of her performance and secure slots promoting her own projects', but the NFL 'flatly refused'.

Bad Bunny will be performing at this year's Superbowl halftime show (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)

TalkSport cited an industry source, who claimed: “She knows the kind of ratings she brings, the global attention she commands. She wasn’t about to hand that over for free.

“The NFL flatly refused. Taylor Swift doesn’t need exposure. She wanted a deal that reflected her value.”

Before the announcement that he'd be performing on the Halftime stage, Bad Bunny explained why he'd decided to avoid touring the US for his upcoming tour, Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour.

He said that he was concerned that ICE would raid any US stadiums that he performed at.

UNILAD has contacted Swift's representatives and the NFL for comment.