Adele Turned Down Super Bowl 51 Halftime Show Offer

Last week, rumors emerged that the NFL was angling to get Adele to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2017. This both made sense and seemed like a bad idea. Over the weekend, the British superstar performed at the Staples Center in L.A. and addressed the rumors, saying she turned down the Super Bowl 51 offer.

“I’d like to tell you I’m not doing the Super Bowl. I mean, come on,” Adele told the crowd. “That show is not about music, and I don’t dance or anything like that. They were very kind, they did ask me, but I did say no.” See her address it at the top of this video:

But then things get weird. SPIN points out that the next day (August 14), the NFL and its Halftime Show sponsor Pepsi released a joint statement saying they made Adele no such offer.

“The NFL and Pepsi are big fans of Adele. We have had conversations with several artists about the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. However, we have not at this point extended a formal offer to Adele or anyone else. We are focused on putting together a fantastic show for Houston and we look forward to revealing that in good time.”

OK so they never gave her a “formal” offer, but it still sounds like there were some preliminary talks between the parties. But why even release that statement? It’s not like they had to save face, like the fact that they didn’t secure Adele will make people question the Super Bowl’s clout.

Anyway, with Adele out of the picture, it’s time once again to start placing your bets.