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Super Bowl LVIII Was Supposed to See Justin Bieber with Usher. Here’s Why He Wasn’t Present

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics
By Christian Alamodin | Last updated 2/16/24

The moment Usher was announced to headline Super Bowl LVIII’s halftime show, many expected Justin Bieber to be among the guest performers that will take the stage with the legendary R&B singer.

However, the Peaches singer was nowhere to be found during Usher’s legendary halftime show. Due to this absence, many wondered why Biebs wasn’t present during one of the most important performances of his musical mentor’s career.

Lil Jon reveals Justin Bieber ‘wasn’t ready’ during Super Bowl halftime show

Members of the media immediately looked for the artists who were involved in the show to get a clear take on why the Baby hitmaker wasn’t present during the performance.

Lil Jon gave an insider take on what happened, as reported by The Wrap’s Rocky Harris:

“We wanted to put Justin in the show, so we had the idea of doing a version of the show with Justin in it,” the “Turn Down for What” rapper said. “But I think Justin just wasn’t really ready. That’s a lot of rehearsal, a lot of responsibility, a lot of time and a lot of eyeballs. I don’t know if he was ready to do all of that, you know?”

Lil Jon chatted about Bieber’s stage absence during a “TMZ Live” appearance.

“I don’t know if he was ready to have that undertaking,” Lil Jon added, saying that Bieber “was thinking about performing in the show.”

He was quick to shoot down any rumors of a rift between the two stars as he confirmed Bieber’s presence during the Yeah! singer’s show:

While he didn’t make it into the show, he was there supporting the performers in the stands.

“I mean, he definitely was there supporting Ush,” Lil Jon said. “They’re really good friends, and he definitely was supporting him regardless.”

Bieber owes a lot of his career to Usher, who helped him transform from a beloved YouTube cover artist to one of the biggest pop artists in the world. If Bieber gets a nod for a Super Bowl halftime performance, many should expect his mentor to be on stage with him.

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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