Turning Point USA's All-American Halftime Show drew more than 5.7 million viewers on Sunday as a patriotic alternative to the NFL's controversial Super Bowl LX halftime act, according to Total Pro Sports.
The conservative youth organization put the hour-long rival event together after the NFL's decision to feature Bad Bunny — a Puerto Rican rapper singing in Spanish — as the official halftime headliner sparked backlash on the right.
Some social media users, recognizing the challenge of measuring streaming viewership, speculated that the alternative Super Bowl halftime programming may have drawn close to 30 million views across platforms.
According to Arizona state Sen. Jake Hoffman on X, "The NFL's stranglehold on culture is dead 30 MILLION+ eyeballs watched @TPUSA's All-American halftime show."
Another X user reposted Hoffman, saying, "There were over 10M screens streaming this. Meaning there were over 30M views leaving the Super Bowl to watch it."
TPUSA billed the event as a celebration of "faith, family and freedom" and streamed the event on its social media channels. In addition to the online streams, the show aired on Real America's Voice, TBN, The National News Desk, Charge!, and The Daily Wire.
The show featured performances by country musicians Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett accompanied by TPUSA's signature pyrotechnics and lighting effects.
Kid Rock opened the program with a rousing, guitar rendition of "America the Beautiful," setting a patriotic tone from the first notes.
He was followed by Brantley Gilbert, who powered through two songs from his catalog for the crowd.
Gabby Barrett then took the stage to perform her hits "I Hope" and "One of the Good Ones," before handing off to Lee Brice, who delivered "Drinking Class" and "Cry."
Kid Rock later returned for the closing stretch, taking the stage after roughly a half-hour, by which point the NFL's official Super Bowl halftime show had ended.
He eased into a stripped-down performance of Cody Johnson's "'Til You Can't," adding another verse about Jesus, as attendees waved their glowing wristbands in the darkened venue.
The performances wrapped up just before 9 p.m. with an in memoriam tribute to TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk.
Organizers framed the viewership total — a fraction of the Super Bowl's overall television audience — as a sign of substantial interest in conservative-leaning entertainment during one of television's biggest nights.
Critics noted the effort underscored cultural divisions over major entertainment choices, with supporters praising TPUSA's show and detractors dismissing it as niche.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday in a Truth Social post that Bad Bunny's halftime show was "absolutely terrible."
"The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!" Trump wrote. "It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn't represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence.
"Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World," the president said.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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