Dozens Complained to FCC About Rihanna's Halftime Show

Apparently some viewers found it too sexual
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 24, 2023 2:00 AM CST
Rihanna's Super Bowl Performance Sparked 100 FCC Complaints
Rihanna performs during the halftime show at the NFL Super Bowl 57 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz.   (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Of the 103 complaints made to the Federal Communications Commission regarding the Super Bowl, TMZ reports that "almost all of them" were regarding Rihanna's halftime show. Apparently quite a few viewers found it way too sexual, and made sure the FCC heard about it. At least two of the complaints went so far as to refer to the performance as "pornography," and many others informed the regulatory agency the choreography was too suggestive.

Rihanna, who is pregnant, didn't actually do much of the dancing, but complaints called out her backup dancers who, one viewer said, made gestures that "were patently offensive and completely inappropriate for children." The number of complaints is dwarfed, however, by the 540,000 who complained after the infamous Janet Jackson-Justin Timberlake halftime wardrobe malfunction in 2004. (Rihanna will be performing at the Oscars, too.)

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