Getty Is Usher paid for his Super Bowl halftime performance?
Usher isn’t being paid much for his Super Bowl halftime performance, but that’s not unusual.
According to People, Super Bowl halftime performers are never paid a large amount to perform. Forbes reported that past Super Bowl halftime performers were paid “a union scale” for their performances.
People reported that the current union scale would amount to about $1,000 per day for artists. Beyond that, halftime performers are not paid anything, according to the outlet.
Here’s what you need to know:
Usher Has a Net Worth of $180 Million
GettyUsher’s net worth in 2024 is $180 million.
Usher does not appear to need the paycheck. He has a net worth of about $180 million, the accumulation of his best-selling albums, tours, television appearances and other investments, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t value in performing at the Super Bowl, however. The honor gives an artist almost unmatched exposure.
“The halftime show at the Super Bowl remains a highly coveted spot for many artists,” entertainment attorney Lori Landew of Fox Rothschild told Forbes in 2019.
“Some of those artists do not see their appearance as a political statement, nor do they see the show as a cultural battleground, but rather view their live performance as an opportunity to entertain an enthusiastic crowd and to share their music and their talent with millions of viewers.”
The NFL, Which Once Tried to Charge Some Performers, Does Cover the Costs ‘Associated With the Show’
GettyActor Georgina Chapman (L), performer Usher (C) and his wife Grace Miguel, and Cuban actress Ana de Armas (R) in 2016 at the Cannes Film Festival.
CBS News explained that “the NFL has a long-standing policy of only paying union scale for halftime performers.”
Over the years, that’s included some of the music world’s biggest names, like Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney and Beyonce. In 2015, the NFL actually asked Rihanna, Cold Play and Katy Perry to pay fees to perform but they declined, CBS News reported.
In 2023, a representative of the NFL told The Independent that the League “covers all costs associated with the show and does pay the halftime performers’ union scale.”
Usher doesn’t seem upset that he’s not getting paid much to perform. “You know what hope that gives artists? I’m an independent artist now. Not, you know, I am playing catalog records. But for the most part, the work that I did here in Las Vegas, it led to this. So that means you, too, can believe in yourself,” he said to Gayle King on CBS.
“I’ve never literally walked on stage and said, ‘Thank you guys for recognizing what I do.’ But I can say I actually played the Super Bowl,” said Usher. He told King that he kept performing in Las Vegas because he hoped he was going to be chosen to perform during the Super Bowl’s halftime show, CBS reported.
“It’s gonna be a celebration. I’m gonna try my hardest not to cry, break down and cry on the stage,” he said, according to CBS.