Usher Explains Justin Bieber Skipping Super Bowl 58 Halftime Show: ‘No Love Lost’

Julia StumbaughFebruary 17, 2024

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Usher said there was “no love lost” between him and Justin Bieber when the singer declined Usher’s invite to join the halftime show of Super Bowl LVIII between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.

“I honor and recognize that my brother… I think that it might have been the fact that he was just wanting to tell a different story right now, and I understand that,” Usher said in an interview with radio show “The Breakfast Club,” which was posted on Instagram.

“We did have a brief conversation, and we’re gonna do something else in the future. No love lost or anything like that.”

Bieber was in Las Vegas to watch Usher’s performance from the stands.

NFL @NFLJustin and Hailey Bieber vibing to @Usher 🔥#AppleMusicHalftime pic.twitter.com/Mt33p2QVeX

Usher was joined on stage during his halftime performance by other performers including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Will.i.am, Lil Jon, H.E.R. and Jermaine Dupri.

But Usher indicated Bieber wasn’t the only singer who turned down the opportunity to join him on the field at Allegiant Stadium.

“It’s a lot of pressure for the Super Bowl, obviously, for me to put together a show, so I reached out to everybody. Justin wasn’t the only person that I spoke to about doing the Super Bowl,” Usher said.

Usher added a guarantee that Bieber would someday host his own Super Bowl show.

“He’s gonna play the Super Bowl,” Usher said. “I give you that in the future… because he has a career that deserves it. It just didn’t happen, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to.”

If Bieber ever earns the gig, it’s possible Usher could return to the Super Bowl field for a third time. After all, the two collaborated on several songs in Bieber’s discography, including “One Less Lonely Girl,” “First Dance” and “Peaches.”