Super Bowl halftime show producer Jesse Collins took the time to respond to fans about Lil Wayne not being selected for the halftime show next year and also spoke about how Jay-Z has always made the right decisions when it comes to who’s performing.
While speaking to @variety in a new interview released on Monday, Collins reacted to the social media outrage over Kendrick Lamar being selected to perform instead of Lil Wayne. As we previously shared, Weezy is a New Orleans native and many fans felt like Wayne should’ve been the headliner with the Super Bowl being held in his city next year. “We love Wayne,” Collins said to the news outlet. “There’s always Vegas odds on who’s going to get to perform it. But I think we’re going to do an amazing show with Kendrick, and I think everybody’s going to love the halftime show. I know Kendrick is going to work exceptionally hard to deliver an amazing show.”
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Since 2021, Collins has served as an executive producer for the Super Bowl halftime show, collaborating with Jay-Z and his Roc Nation team to shape one of the most eagerly awaited segments of television’s biggest annual event. When asked about who chooses the annual halftime acts, Collins responded by saying, “It’s a decision that Jay makes.” He added, “Since we’ve been on board with that show, he’s made it every year, and it’s been amazing. He’s always picked right!”
In an Instagram post on Friday (Sept. 13), Lil Wayne elaborated on why it took him some time to address the booking that left him feeling “broken.” He also expressed appreciation for the friends and colleagues who have shown their support and raised questions about why he was overlooked.
“First of all, I want to say forgive me for the delay. I had to get strength enough to do this without breaking,” said a somber, clearly dispirited Wayne. “I’mma say thank you to every voice, every opinion, all the care, all love and support out there. Your words turned into arms and held me up when I tried to fall back.”
RELATED: Birdman And Nicki Minaj Defend Lil Wayne Amid Kendrick Lamar 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show Headliner Controversy
Wayne, sitting on a couch and wearing a red, white, and blue track jacket paired with red shorts, opened up about how deeply the news affected him.
“That hurt. It hurt a lot. You know what I’m talking about. It hurt a whole lot,” he said haltingly. “I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown. And for automatically mentally putting myself in that position like somebody told me that was my position. So I blame myself for that. But I thought that was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city, so it hurt. It hurt a whole lot.”
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