Cardi B says she declined an invitation to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show. In a Billboard interview, the Grammy-winning rapper explained she passed on the opportunity because she isn’t yet musically and personally prepared to deliver a memorable performance. “I got asked to do the Super Bowl and I denied it,” she said. “If I get to do it, I’m going to have more hits and I’m going to eat that up.”
Her decision reflects a strategic choice. She’s building her catalog and confidence before tackling such a massive stage. Fans online have met the news with skepticism and debate, questioning whether the claim is accurate or a publicity move.
Cardi B is Waiting Until the Moment is Right
Cardi stressed that timing matters. She said she wants to feel capable of “fully dominate the stage.” In her words, the Super Bowl gig would be another chapter—not a premature leap.
Her stance is grounded in artistic growth. She wants to amass more hits, more stage experience, and more surety. Only then, she believes, can she truly “eat that up.”
This isn’t the first time Cardi B has turned down a Super Bowl offer. In 2019, she declined the opportunity in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick’s protest. She described that as “mixed feelings,” and said, “there’s a man who sacrificed his job for us, so we got to stand behind him.”
That decision, she said, came at personal and financial cost. At the time, she understood its importance. She even participated in NFL-related events but drew a line at headlining the show.