An NFL spokesperson has also said that 'we watched all elements of the show during multiple rehearsals this week and were aware that Eminem was going to do that.'
- Feb 15, 2022
AceShowbiz - Eminem became the talk of the town following his performance at the Super Bowl LVI by taking a knee during the halftime show. While his gesture generated a lot of buzz on social media, it apparently wasn't a big deal to those who were involved in the show's preparation.
Speaking to TMZ after the performance, Dr. Dre, who also headlined the event, was asked if NFL intervened on any parts of their performance, particularly Eminem kneeling on stage and Kendrick Lamar omitting the "and we hate po-po" line from his song "Alright".
While he acknowledged that there were a few "minor" adjustments, the hip-hop mogul insinuated that the league had "no problem" with Em's act. "Em taking the knee, that was Em doing that on his own, and there was no problem with that," he said on Monday, February 14.
A rep for NFL has also confirmed that they were aware that Eminem planned on kneeling after viewing rehearsal footage. "We watched all elements of the show during multiple rehearsals this week and were aware that Eminem was going to do that,'' the league spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
Eminem took a knee after he finished performing his Oscar-winning single "Lose Yourself" and while Dr. Dre began performing "Still Dre". It was previously reported that NFL had told the "Not Afraid" hitmaker not to kneel, but he did it anyway to support former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his fight against injustice.
Also taking the stage during the halftime show were Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent who made a surprise appearance to sing his hit "In Da Club" as well as Anderson .Paak who played the drums during the Detroit emcee's performance.
The performances were raved by viewers, with LeBron James tweeting after the show, "OMG!!!!!!!!! WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!! THE GREATEST HALFTIME SHOW IVE EVER SEEN!!!"
