Fox Bleeps Out Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl Halftime Show

In a Super Bowl halftime for the books, Kendrick Lamar’s show was simple in its complexity (a purposeful oxymoron), with pointed references to American minority culture and of course, all of Drake’s dirty laundry aired for hundreds of thousands to hear. However, not everyone was thrilled with the performance, particularly with the audio.  

If you were watching the show on FOX Sports, perhaps you noticed that the sound mixing seemed to be off. The lyrics of Lamar’s most famous songs could barely be heard over the beat. Well, according to American Songwriter, this was intentional.  

“Lamar’s lyric had to go through censors from Fox and the NFL.” Clayton Edwards wrote. “The network or the league may have been uncomfortable with the use of the word ‘pedophile’ in general. After all, K Dot chose to omit harsh language from the rest of his bars during the Halftime show.” 

Apparently, the channel’s attempt at staying “family-friendly” was simply to mute Lamar’s microphone.  

 “I want to play their favorite song… but you know they love to sue,” Kendrick Lamar said just a couple of minutes into his Super Bowl half-time show, referring to the multiple lyric changes and the lawsuit Drake filed against him. 

Despite FOX’s attempts and Lamar’s own self-censorship, this did not stop 75,000 fans in the stands from singing the not so family-friendly lyrics that the channel desperately wanted to silence.  

As comical as this event was, it stirred a lot of questions regarding Federal Communication Commission (FCC) regulations and whether or not this type of censorship is ethical, or even legal.  

The short answer is yes.  

According to its website, the FCC allows profane language that is not “so grossly offensive” that it becomes a public nuisance. Three factors are considered when determining what is “profane.” If the broadcast is explicitly graphic in nature, or focuses on, at length, descriptions or depictions of sexual activities and has the potential to shock the audience, altering the material is an allowable practice. 

So, FOX has more than enough permission to censor what is deemed profane. But does censorship alone make the half-time show family-friendly?  

Considering Lamar’s original lyrics and the fan’s audible singing of the censored words, I would argue that the show was as far from being family-friendly as the sun is from the moon.  

None of Lamar’s lyrics are even remotely aligned with the Liberty Way, so I won’t attempt to list them out here. But considering the fan’s use of the word “pedophile” and other various expletives, the lyrics are enough to consider the halftime show not appropriate for some audiences.  

In spite of the lyrics, we also need to examine the themes of the overall show. As an African American, it was cool to see accurate depictions of racial and political injustice, but as a Christian, some of the dances were overtly sexual and downright hard to watch.  

Ultimately, the 2025 Apple Music halftime show was cleaner — or as our sports editor, Anna White, so nicely put it, “less gaudy” than previous years. However, at the next Super Bowl, the NFL should consider its diverse audience before choosing the show’s headliner in order to protect the thousands of young children and families who will tune in to watch this major event. Perhaps, in 2026, the NFL should aim to select appropriate acts that all football fans will be able to enjoy.  

Merritt is the Arts and Culture editor for the Liberty Champion.