The Super Bowl kicked off with a major error when broadcasters panned to the wrong woman while trying to introduce R&B singer Jhene Aiko. Aiko was scheduled to perform “America the Beautiful” before the big game, but as her name appeared on the chiron the camera operators focused on country singer Mickey Guyton. The mixup immediately drew groans from viewers on social media.
Aiko started the celebration off with “America the Beautiful” and Guyton followed it up with the National Anthem, but you could be forgiven if you were confused by the introductions on the NBC broadcast. The confusion lasted just a moment, but it was enough to unnerve many viewers right from the start. Since Aiko and Guyton are both women of color, there were some accusations of racism on social media right away.
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“Jhene Aiko and Mickey Guyton don’t look alike.Tighten up NBC. All Black folks don’t look alike,” one person tweeted. Another added: “We just started and they already messing up,” while a third wrote: “They was taking forever to be the camera on Jhene I was like ummmm…”
Thankfully, both Aiko’s and Guyton’s performances went off without a hitch, so the misattribution was the only major flub for their appearances. Fans were concerned that this did not bode well for the performers set to take the stage at halftime. This year’s game will include performances by Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar – along with some possible surprise guests.
“NFL is on a roll. Mary Mary in the parking lot, now this,” one person wrote. Another added: “Lord, please let our beloved gawdess MJB have a stellar Super Bowl performance. No nip slips, no rain, no faulty knee boots. Amen.”
Super Bowl LVI pits the Los Angeles Rams against the Cincinnati Bengals. The game kicked off at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC with an accompanying live stream on Peacock. There’s no telling when exactly halftime will begin, but many fans will have their eyes peeled for more mishaps on the air.
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