Oct. 14 was "Super Bowl Night" on "Dancing with the Stars." Earlier this week, rumors swirled on social media that the Super Bowl LXI halftime performer would be announced on last night's "DWTS" episode.
Unfortunately, the internet sleuths were wrong, and the next Super Bowl Halftime Show performer remains a mystery as of Wednesday, Oct. 14.
Here's why "Dancing with the Stars" fans thought last night's episode would reveal the Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show performer, who is rumored to have been chosen, and when and where Super Bowl LXI is being held.
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Super Bowl Halftime Show, 'Dancing with the Stars' announcement theory debunked
The theory was wrong, but there were several good reasons why "DWTS" fans believed that the Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show performer would be revealed
last night.
First, Super Bowl LXI is set to air on ESPN and ABC, both Walt Disney Company-owned channels. If you don't know, "Dancing with the Stars" is also a part of the Disney family, airing live on ABC each week and streaming on Disney+.
Second, there has never been a "Super Bowl Night" theme and the theme reveal was delayed. In years past, ABC has revealed all of the weekly themes for each season at once. This year, ABC had mysteriously labeled this week's theme "TBD" when the weekly themes were released. The "Super Bowl Night" theme was announced later than the others, on "Good Morning America" Sept. 30.
Although the announcement was not made on last night's episode of "Dancing with the Stars," the judges and hosts certainly leaned into the theory. At one point, one of the judges even said "this year's Super Bowl Halftime Show performer will be... Guillermo!" after Guillermo Rodriguez and his Floridian pro partner Witney Carson completed their routine.
Has the 2027 the Super Bowl Halftime Show performer been announced?
No. The 61st Super Bowl Halftime Show performer has yet to be announced as of Oct. 14, 2026. The NFL and Apple Music are running behind on releasing the news, compared to six of their seven most recent announcements of Super Bowl headliners.
This is another reason why many "Dancing with the Stars" fans believed that last night's Super Bowl-themed episode could have revealed the Super Bowl LXI halftime performer. In recent years, the performer has been announced by now.
Last year, Bad Bunny was announced as the Super Bowl LX halftime performer during a Sunday Night Football game commercial break on Sept. 28, 2025.
Here's when each Super Bowl halftime performer was announced from 2019 through last year:
- 2026: Bad Bunny, announced on Sept. 28, 2025
- 2025: Kendrick Lamar, announced on Sept. 8, 2024
- 2024: Usher, announced on Sept. 24, 2023
- 2023: Rihanna, announced on Sept. 25, 2022
- 2022: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, announced on Sept. 30, 2021
- 2021: The Weeknd, announced on Nov. 12, 2020
- 2020: Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, announced on Sept. 26, 2019
Who is predicted to be the 2027 Super Bowl Halftime Show performer?
Although the 2027 Super Bowl Halftime Show performer has not been announced, internet sleuths have been theorizing who it could be.
Here are some of the rumored picks for the Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show:
- Miley Cyrus: Perhaps the most popular rumored performer is Miley Cyrus. An unverified image claiming that Apple Music leaked an announcement showing what appears to be a silhouette that fans say resembles Cyrus was posted and quickly deleted. Cyrus also leaned into the rumor, posting an Instagram reel on Oct. 12, with the caption "PM training for the Bowl... Only a few days away," in reference to her Hollywood Bowl performances on Oct. 16 and Oct. 18.
- Harry Styles or Justin Bieber: TMZ reported in September that Justin Bieber and Harry Styles were allegedly on the "short list" for the gig.
- Jay-Z: Jay-Z has chosen or influenced the Super Bowl Halftime Show performer through his entertainment company, Roc Nation, since 2020. Some believe that Jay-Z himself could take the stage in February.
Will the 2027 Super Bowl be on Valentine's Day?
Yes. Unfortunately for some, Super Bowl 61 will land on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2027.
Where will the Super Bowl be in 2027?
Super Bowl LXI will be held at the home of the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Where to stream 'Dancing with the Stars: Super Bowl Night'
Last night's "Dancing with the Stars: Super Bowl Night" episode marked the fifth week of the competition, and the episode is now available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
"DWTS" airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. New episodes stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
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Contributing: Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer
Lianna Norman and Samantha Neely are trending reporters for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: 'DWTS' fans predicted a Super Bowl Halftime Show reveal. No such luck
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