Just hours after being brutally mocked and roasted online over his controversial ‘All-American Halftime Show’ on February 8, Kid Rock issued a cryptic response amid the backlash.
The 55-year-old was dragged by viewers over the conservative event held by Turning Point USA (TPUSA), which was a direct rival to the official NFL halftime performance by Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny.
Highlights
- Kid Rock shared a viral X post amid intense backlash and mockery over his recent TPUSA ‘All-American Halftime Show.’
- The performance doubled as a tribute to slain TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, while also being positioned as a direct rival to 2026 Super Bowl headliner Bad Bunny.
- Rock was brutally slammed by social media users, and even fellow music stars, including singer Kacey Musgraves.
Kid Rock’s event was labeled “Temu Halftime,” “Redneck Halftime,” and even led some netizens to joke that it looked like it was held in a Dollar Tree parking lot.
One critic bluntly commented, “Kid Rock is a grandpa who was born rich and complains about not getting enough attention.”
Amid the brutal mockery of his ‘All-American Halftime Show’ performance, Kid Rock shared a viral post on X
Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Yesterday, Sunday, February 8, as Grammy-winning pop star Bad Bunny took the stage for the NFL halftime show, Kid Rock, along with several other country performers, including Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett, participated in Turning Point USA’s (TPUSA) counter-event.
Kid Rock headlined the country-heavy concert, which was primarily broadcast on Turning Point USA’s official YouTube channel, drawing over 5 million live viewers during the stream.
It was also streamed on The Charlie Kirk Show YouTube channel and made available live on TPUSA’s Rumble page.
Image credits: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Image credits: IllumiUtee
A notable aspect of the event was that it wasn’t only positioned as a rival to Bad Bunny’s performance, but also served as a tribute to Charlie Kirk, TPUSA’s slain founder, who lost his life last September following a fatal attack.
Kicking off the show, host Jack Posobiec said, “This one’s for you, Charlie!”
Rock opened his set with a shortened version of his 1999 hit Bawitdaba, and in the second half of his performance, he delivered a slow, acoustic rendition of Cody Johnson’s hit ’Til You Can’t.
Image credits: BigBudde
During his cover of Johnson’s song, Rock added a self-written third verse featuring a religious message dedicated to Charlie’s memory.
The new verse read, “There’s a book sitting in your house somewhere that could use some dusting off. There’s a man who di*d for all our sins hanging from the cross. You can give your life to Jesus and he’ll give you a second chance. Till you can’t.”
The alternate event was reportedly positioned as a direct rival to Bad Bunny’s historic performance at the 2026 Super Bowl
Image credits: KidRock
The TPUSA event and Rock’s performance quickly ignited intense backlash, with many accusing the singer of “lip-syncing.”
Others mocked the entire concept, with one viral comment reading, “It’s like handing toddlers an iPad so they stop melting down and everyone else can enjoy the real halftime show in peace.”
Amid the ongoing controversy, the All Summer Long singer shared a post on his official X account on February 9.
Image credits: kidrock
The post has since garnered over 1.2 million views and nearly 90,000 likes, as the country singer wrote in the caption, “If you enjoyed our version of ‘Til Ya Can’t’ on The TPUSA All American Halftime - Our studio recording of it will be available to purchase or stream at midnight tonight!”
“A big thank you to @codyjohnson and the songwriters Ben Stennis and Matt Rogers for giving me there blessing to record and release it, It really is one of the best written songs I have heard in a long time and NOTHING is more powerful than a great song in my book! Kid Rock.”
Image credits: kidrock
One social media user responded in the comment section of the same post, writing, “Sorry I didn’t tune into... I was busy watching Bad Bunny crush it…”
A second critic agreed, adding, “Dude you are a performer and after that first song you did was enough for me to turn it off. I like your music but coming out and lip syncing is not a good performance.”
A third critic nitpicked Rock’s caption, pointing out that he appeared to misspell the word “their.”
The user wrote, “MAGA: We don’t understand a lick of what Bad Bunny sings. Also MAGA: Don’t know the difference between, there, their and they’re.”
“Even Trump admitted that he didn't watch the alternative country music hucklebuck show and instead opted to watch the Bad Bunny experience, which was MUCH better, obviously,” joked one netizen.
“Trump had a long rant about the Bad Bunny show proving that he watched it.”
As Rock paid tribute to the slain TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, netizens, and even country stars like Kacey Musgraves, voiced strong disapproval
Image credits: kidrock
The comment appeared to be sarcastic, referencing President Donald Trump’s scathing review of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance on Truth Social, where he described the set as “absolutely terrible” and “one of the worst, EVER.”
He also claimed that “nobody understands a word this guy is saying,” referring to the fact that Bad Bunny’s performance was delivered entirely in Spanish, a historic moment that marked the first Super Bowl Halftime Show performed fully in Spanish.
However, not everyone was critical of Rock’s new cover.
Image credits: BigBudde
Some netizens were supportive, with one writing, “I totally loved it and went to purchase it. Glad it will be available later. Great job.”
Some viewers also praised the tribute, with one writing, “I’m getting it- I’ve played it a dozen times already - you can see the love of Christ on your face, hear it in your voice and in your actions in that song.”
Another added, “It was a beautiful tribute to Charlie, thank you for honoring him!”
The 55-year-old musician called Cody Johnson’s song, which he covered during his performance, “one of the best written songs I have heard”
Image credits: kidrock
“I can’t wait to download this and play it on repeat, absolutely loved it!”
During the All-American Halftime Show, a tribute video was played featuring a slideshow of photos of the slain founder, his wife Erika Kirk, and their children.
In the background, a voiceover of Charlie could be heard, saying, “I want to honor God in all that I do. I want to be a great husband, a great father, I want to serve this country. I want to try to continue to lead this movement.”
Previously, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and conservative host Megyn Kelly had publicly voiced their support for Kid Rock’s alternative show, with both sharing that they were proudly watching the event.
Meanwhile, Rock’s fellow musician Kacey Musgraves publicly mocked the 55-year-old’s performance while praising Bad Bunny’s show, writing on X, “Well. That made me feel more proudly American than anything Kid Rock has ever done."
“Sure, it was bad. Did you expect something different?” questioned one user, while others echoed, “No agenda, except celebrating the MAGA agenda.”
“Meanwhile the official SB halftime show broke the all time viewership record,” wrote one social media user
Image credits: MaileOnX
