Kid Rock’s own fans were left wondering whether he was lip-syncing at MAGA’s anti-Super Bowl.
Rock, 55, jumped up onstage in a fur vest and his signature black hat for a high-powered performance of his 1999 song “Bawitdaba.” He was the headliner for Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show,” intended to counter Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny’s highly anticipated performance in California.
Notably, Kid Rock didn’t take the stage until after Bad Bunny had left the official Super Bowl halftime stage.
But Rock’s fans wondered out loud on social media if the audio on their devices was lagging—or if the country rock artist was lip-syncing.
“Was Kid Rock doing a really bad job of lip syncing or is my audio out of sync?” one X user wrote.
“Is this a pre-recorded event? Kid Rock is way off on the lip sync,” another user added.
“I’m watching the Turning Point USA halftime show. I’m not a country music fan at all and so far the only one I know is Kid Rock. Is anyone else watching? Just curious, was Kid lip syncing?” one user chimed in.
“Kid Rock’s audio was out of sync in the TPUSA halftime show stream LMAOOO! What a complete disaster,” an account called Blue Georgia said, drawing thousands of likes.
“That was the worst lip sync I’ve ever seen #KidRockHalftime,” another user wrote. “Wow that was sad.”
After a brief intermission, Rock traded his usual flashy outfits for a toned-down blue ensemble paired with a Detroit hat and showed up slinging a guitar. He was introduced by his real name, Robert James Ritchie, before he delivered a rendition of Cody Johnson’s “‘Til You Can’t.”
Rock’s representatives did not immediately return a request for comment on viewers’ remarks.
Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization founded by assassinated activist Charlie Kirk, first announced that it would stage a MAGAfied halftime show in October after conservatives were outraged that a Spanish-speaking artist would headline the NFL version.
The show hit a snag just before it aired.
“UPDATE: Due to licensing restrictions, we are unable to stream The All-American Halftime Show on X,” the organization announced less than two hours before the show. But it still managed to draw millions of viewers on Sunday night, with nearly 5 million viewers tuning in to the YouTube livestream at one point
The half-hour show included performances from Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett.
“This one’s for you, Charlie,” MAGA commentator Jack Posobiec said at the start of the broadcast. The show closed with images and clips commemorating Kirk.
