The Weeknd’s Halftime Sketch With James Corden Divides Super Bowl Fans

Super Bowl LV, which is free to watch online this year, takes place on Sunday evening and features a talented performer during the halftime show. The Weeknd will hit the stage without guests and will entertain a much smaller crowd. Prior to the game, he showcased his acting skills during a sketch with James Corden.

The premise of the nearly eight-minute sketch is that the Keurig aficionado is the secret weapon behind the perfect halftime show performance. At least Corden believes this to be true. He heads to the rehearsal space in order to provide The Weeknd with some assistance. Though the interactions do not play out as expected.

“This year, CBS is hosting the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show,” the late-night host said. “And I knew, sooner or later the network’s biggest star would have to pitch in and help out. Unfortunately, Young Sheldon doesn’t have a cell phone. It’s not allowed. He’s a child. So when The Weeknd was really struggling with the big halftime show performance, guess who he called.”

The skit continued with the musical performer saying that he didn’t call anyone to come help. He said that Corden just showed up at the rehearsal space. To make the situation even stranger for The Weeknd, Corden donned a matching red blazer and the bandages from the performer’s album promotion cycle.

“This is ten percent funny, Twenty percent cringe, Fifteen percent concentrated pepsi, Five percent pleasure, Fifty percent skill, And a hundred percent reason to remember the name: [The Weeknd]. Inspired by [Fort Minor]” one Twitter user commented after watching the sketch.

Several others weighed in and expressed vastly different opinions. Many thought that the sketch was hilarious and called for Corden and The Weeknd to hit the road for an episode of Carpool Karaoke. Others said that they were not particularly entertained by the entire scenario.

With the unique partnership complete, The Weeknd will now prepare to entertain the fans in a very different style of the halftime show. The performance will take place in the stands instead of on the field. The reason is that the performers will be able to observe COVID-19 safety protocols. Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.