Robbie Williams pranks Americans after Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show

British pop star’s joke fell on plenty of deaf ears, following the Grammy-winning rapper’s record-breaking show in New Orleans. Robbie Williams poked fun at the ongoing chatter surrounding his celebrity status in the US, following both the Super Bowl and the release of his critically acclaimed film Better Man. The British pop star, 51, is the subject of the musical biopic directed and produced by Michael Gracey, in which Williams is depicted as an anthropomorphic ape.

While the film has received rave reviews from critics, it is considered a box office flop in the US, sparking a conversation about how aware (or not) Americans are of Williams and his career. Days after Kendrick Lamar’s record-breaking Super Bowl halftime show, the “Rock DJ” singer appeared to poke fun at the debate, as he shared some “news” with his followers to X/Twitter. “OMG. I’ve just been asked to do next year’s halftime at the Super Bowl,” he said. “So honoured guys. Thank you.”.

While a number of fans seemed to get the joke, others took it more literally, with one responding: “No you haven’t… they don’t know you in America??? Wait do they???”. “Dude’s movie made less than $3m in the US and he’s doing our halftime show?!? Jfc no thanks,” another person commented. Several other followers offered their congratulations to Williams. The Super Bowl halftime show headliner is typically not announced until a few months before the event, with Lamar revealing his 2025 gig last September.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning hip-hop artist’s performance is now the most-watched halftime show of all time, drawing 133.5 million viewers – more than the Super Bowl itself. In a now-viral moment, he directly addressed his rival, Drake, through the cameras, as he delivered a part-censored rendition of his Grammy-winning diss track “Not Like Us”. While Lamar’s performance received rave reviews from critics, not everyone was impressed.

Appearing on Talk Sport, Oasis rocker Noel Gallagher claimed he’d switched off when the halftime show began, branding it “absolute nonsense”. “I had to switch it off… it was absolute nonsense,“ Gallagher, 57, told hosts Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent. “I didn’t watch it all,” he admitted. “I just switched it off. There [were] like 300 people getting out of a car in the first two minutes.”.

Asked about his favourite halftime performances, Gallagher said he rarely bothers tuning in: “I never watch the halftime thing, I’m not interested,” he said. “It’s usually artists I don’t like.”. Lamar’s fellow hip-hop artist Jay-Z, with whom Gallagher has also clashed in the past, has been widely credited with reviving the halftime show in recent years, upping ratings with high-octane performances from Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, The Weeknd, Eminem and Rihanna.