Super Bowl Halftime Show FCC Complaints Are in, and the Number Is Surprising

The halftime performance at Super Bowl LVI in February drew a ton of praise from fans as it featured Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent. But with the artists known for their strong lyrics, the thought was there were going to be a lot of complaints from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). That was not the case as the halftime show garnered just 33 complaints to the FCC, according to The Hill. When comparing that to the halftime show at the Super Bowl in 2020 that featured Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, it’s very low as that performance produced 1,300 complaints to the FCC. 

When it comes to the complaints about this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, a handful of viewers didn’t like the attire worn by the backup dancers. One person wrote, “So if 2020 wasn’t bad enough now we get to see a bunch of half naked women sexually twerking.” Another person complained the show is not suitable for kids who are watching. 

“Sexual content of grown hip hop and rap [singers] grabbing their groin and genitals. So offensive to children, the elderly and families,” a person from Colorado wrote. The Hill said some of the people who complained went to FCC’s database to express their frustration while others called the company’s phone number. 

The majority of people who watch loved watching hip-hop legends share the same stage. The Guardian gave the show five stars out of five while The Independent gave the performance four stars. The show averaged 103.4 million viewers which is a 7% increase from last year’s show that featured the Weeknd. After the show, Dr. Dre spoke to TMZ about the show, which included Eminem taking a knee during his performance. “Em taking the knee, that was Em doing that on his own, and there was no problem with that,” he said. Dre also talked about changing a lyric from Lamar’s song “m.A.A.d. city” where he says, “If Pirus and Crips all got along.” 

“They had a problem with that, so we had to take that out. No big deal, we get it. But, all in all, everybody came in, we were professional, everybody was on time,” Dre said. “Everybody felt the magnitude of what this thing was, and what we were going to be able to accomplish. It was a fantastic experience.”