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The verdict is in for Maroon 5's halftime show ... and it's not pretty.
While millions of viewers tuned into the Super Bowl to watch the New England Patriots face off against the Los Angeles Rams, one thing that's sure to have people talking all week is Maroon 5's halftime performance.
There has been a ton of controversy surrounding this year's gig, in light of the NFL's treatment of Colin Kaepernick and other players who knelt during the national anthem as a form of protest against racism and police brutality. Rihanna reportedly turned down doing the halftime show herself as a sign of solidarity with Kaepernick, while Cardi B said she wouldn't perform it either unless the player was rehired.
Well, she wasn't lying, as the rapper didn't join the band for their duet "Girls Like You." The guys also didn't reference any of the controversy. Here's what went down:
The rockers kicked off their set with "Harder to Breathe," fire erupting behind them, before they launched into "This Love." The band did their set atop a giant "M" in the middle of the stadium, as fans surrounded the stage.
SpongeBob Squarepants popped up briefly, after a petition from fans urged the NFL to pay tribute to the show's late creator, Stephen Hillenburg, during halftime. Then an asteroid crashed to the stage, with Travis Scott popping up to perform "Sicko Mode."
That was followed up by "Girls Like You," with no Cardi B cameo, before "She Will Be Loved." Big Boi popped up to do Outkast's "The Way You Move," before the stage went back to Adam Levine and Co. for "Sugar" and "Moves Like Jagger," where Adam finally took off his shirt. No, Christina Aguilera did not show up too.
Most of the Twitter reactions lamented the lack of a full SpongeBob tribute, and included a ton of viewers ticked Levine could get away with taking off his shirt while Janet Jackson's was crucified for Nipplegate. For what it's worth, the official SpongeBob account seemed happy.
Here's what else Hollywood is saying about the performance in general (we'll update as more come in):
What everyone else had to say:
