Can Mary J Blige, Eminem and Snoop Dogg top the most watched Super Bowl halftime show? Find out who owns that title ahead of Super Bowl 2022

The most watched Super Bowl halftime show has amassed 221 million YouTube views, but who was it? Shakira? Madonna? Beyoncé?

Shakira, Beyonce and Madonna at the Super Bowl halftime show. But who was the most watched?
(Image credit: Focus on Sport/AFP/Al Bello via Getty Images)

While football fans across America (and the world!) get ready to tune into the Super Bowl LVI to watch the Los Angeles Rams lock horns with the Cincinnati Bengals, others will be more preoccupied with the halftime show.

The halftime show has become something of a cultural juggernaut, with legends including Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson having put on iconic performances.

At Super Bowl LVI, some of the biggest names in hip-hop, rap and R&B are coming together to supercharge the star power in the halftime show.


Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Dr Dre are the headline performers who will take to the field in Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, but how will they rank against some of the most popular shows from the last decade?

New data from mCashAdvance reveals that 9 of the 10 most popular performances were from the past decade. 

Let's find out who came out on top... 

Who has the most watched Super Bowl halftime show?

Hips—and numbers—don’t lie; the most-watched Super Bowl halftime performance of all time was Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.

The two Latina icons put on an unbeatable show in 2020 that has gone on to rack up an astonishing 221,000,000 YouTube views (and counting) making it the most searched-for show in history.  

Jlo performing at the most watched Super Bowl halftime show

(Image credit: Focus on Sport/Getty)

Switching up traditional American pop culture at the halftime show—traditionally more known for rock bands and pop chart-toppers—was a huge moment for the Latin community in the United States, increasing the demand for bilingual Latin pop.

Following the performance, Hips Don’t Lie, She Wolf and On The Floor were some of the most streamed hits following the event, with both artists seeing a huge spike in views.

Shakira and Jlo have the most viewed Super Bowl halftime show

(Image credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty)

In second position with over 141 million YouTube views is the 2016 performance delivered by Beyoncé and Bruno Mars.

Although each artist had previously performed at the Super Bowl in the years prior, the collaboration saw new levels of energy and positivity in their joint performance. The final shot of the show featured fans in the stands spelling out “Believe in Love” in different colors, a bold statement celebrating the power of diversity and inclusivity.

Despite going on to become the most watched performance, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez didn’t have the biggest live audience for their show—that accolade goes to Katy Perry.

Katy Perry had the biggest live audience for her Super Bowl halftime show

(Image credit: Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Katy Perry performing during the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show at the University of Phoenix Stadium in February 2015 has the biggest live TV audience for a Super Bowl halftime show.

It was the most watched halftime show on network broadcast with a TV audience of 118.5 million.

In comparison, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira pulled in a live audience of 103 million.

Jack Slater
Freelance writer

Jack Slater is not the Last Action Hero, but that's what comes up first when you Google him. Preferring a much more sedentary life, Jack gets his thrills by covering news, entertainment, celebrity, film and culture for woman&home, and other digital publications.

Having written for various print and online publications—ranging from national syndicates to niche magazines—Jack has written about nearly everything there is to write about, covering LGBTQ+ news, celebrity features, TV and film scoops, reviewing the latest theatre shows lighting up London’s West End and the most pressing of SEO based stories.