Adam Levine Dodges Questions About Super Bowl Halftime Show Performance

While the halftime performer for Super Bowl LIII has not been officially announced, reports are all but confirming Maroon 5 to have taken the gig this year, something the band’s frontman Adam Levine refused to confirm or deny during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Friday.

“Let’s talk about this rumor of you possibly performing at halftime for the Super Bowl,” DeGeneres asked Levine.

“What the hell are you talking about?” the 39-year-old playfully responded. “It’s a rumor. I can neither confirm nor deny the truth of this rumor. It’s definitely a rumor and the rumor’s a rumor that everyone seems to be discussing.”

The host noted that whether the rumor is true or not, Levine can’t exactly comment due to the fact that the news has not been announced by the NFL.

“It’s the Super Bowl,” Levine acknowledged. “It’s going to be a great event and there’s going to be a band…or an artist of some kind performing at halftime. And it’s going to be great regardless of whoever it is. Whoever is lucky enough to get that gig, probably is going to crush it.”

DeGeneres then asked the father of two how he was feeling about the whole thing should his band be the one performing.

“If it were me, I’d be excited. I’d be nervous,” Levine responded, cracking, “I just can’t wait to watch.”

Back in 2015, Levine told Howard Stern, “We very actively want to play the Super Bowl.”

In September, Us Weekly reported that Maroon 5 had been chosen for the high-profile show, with a source saying, “The offer has been extended and they’ve pretty much accepted.”

It was previously reported that Rihanna had been offered the gig, but turned it down in a show of support for former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began kneeling during the national anthem ahead of games in 2016 and now no longer plays in the NFL.

“The NFL and CBS really wanted Rihanna to be next year’s performer in Atlanta,” a source told Us Weekly. “They offered it to her, but she said no because of the kneeling controversy. She doesn’t agree with the NFL’s stance.”

Kaepernick began kneeling as a peaceful protest against police brutality, a move that was soon adopted by many other players in the league. Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season, and the league considered adopting an official anthem policy. That idea has since been stalled.

Photo Credit: The Ellen DeGeneres Show