Kim Kardashian skips first half of Super Bowl and arrives just in time for Usher’s performance

Usher recently appeared in the reality star’s Skims menswear campaign

When Kim Kardashian arrived at the Super Bowl on Sunday night (11 February), she was only there for the halftime show – not the game.

The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star reportedly missed the first half of the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers and turned up just in time for Usher’s halftime performance, alongside her sisters Khloe Kardashian and Kendall Jenner, sporting an oversized Balenciaga jacket and matching pants with knee pads.

The R&B singer headlined the musical extravaganza with a troupe of dancers and special guests, performing some of his biggest hits from the past two decades, in between one of the most nail-biting games in recent memory.

His 15-minute set included guest appearances from Alicia Keys, HER, Lil Jon and Ludacris, with renditions of some of his biggest songs including “Yeah!”, “Love in This Club”, “U Got It Bad” and “My Boo”.

Kardashian has long been a close friend of the “Yeah!” singer and appeared in the video announcing that Usher would be the star performing in the coveted halftime slot. To return the favour, Usher recently starred in a campaign for Kardashian’s underwear brand Skims, in which the musician modelled a pair of boxers while eating a peach.

In April, Usher serenaded Kardashian during his Las Vegas residency and shouted from the stage: “What up Kim, you made it.”

Kim Kardashian sat in a private box at the Super Bowl (AFP via Getty Images)

Kardashian’s ex-husband, the controversial rapper Kanye West, was also present at the Super Bowl. He wore a black mask embroidered with a crucifix that concealed his face, though it was obvious it was West underneath, as his wife Bianca Censori walked alongside him.

Usher was widely praised for his “spectacular” performance, which featured several intricate dance routines and impressive costume changes.

In his review for The Independent, critic Mark Beaumont described Usher’s halftime show as “a fun, half-memorable mess”, praising the spectacle of roller-skating dancers but suggesting it failed to meet its potential.

Usher performs with Alicia Keys at the Super Bowl (PA)

“Despite the soft-centred smoothness of his opening R&B segment (‘Caught Up’, ‘U Don’t Have to Call’, a snippet of ‘Superstar’), he’s left a bit breathless by a bout of gentle grooving with his cane-twirling sidekicks,” the review said.

“None of his tunes land anything like a touchdown and, for something so monstrous of budget, the whole thing starts to feel underwhelmingly cabaret.”

Usher in action during the halftime show (PA)

Usher’s gig took place after pop queen Rihanna headlined the Super Bowl halftime show in 2023, famously pulling off one of the most dramatic celebrity pregnancy reveals of all time, when she unveiled her pregnant belly in a blood-red boiler suit.

This year, popstar Taylor Swift provided much of the entertainment from her private box, where she was showing support for her boyfriend, the Chiefs player Travis Kelce. She was joined by A-listers including Hollywood actor Blake Lively, rapper Ice Spice, and pop artist Lana Del Rey,

Beyoncé also managed to cause a stir, despite not even being at the game, as she announced the forthcoming release of her new album, Renaissance Part II, due on 29 March.

The pop superstar made the announcement in a series of teaser videos during the Super Bowl while her husband, rapper and music mogul Jay-Z, and their daughter Blue Ivy, watched the game from a private box.