Published Feb 9, 2026, 12:33 PM EST
Leo is a professional writer, having worked in the journalistic field for many years. In that time, he has covered breaking political news, in-depth analyses of true crime, and a few more lighthearted topics such as entertainment, culture, and travel. His writing can be found at various outlets, including Rare, Wide Open Country, and PC Invasion.
Leo uses his writing not only as a creative outlet but also to fund his lifestyle of travel and adventure. For four years, he has been hopping from country to country, meeting new people, eating new foods, and struggling to learn new languages.
For those who found Bad Bunny's half-time Super Bowl performance a little too spicy, Turning Point USA hosted a much more vanilla version featuring Kid Rock, a few country musicians, and a crowd of about 200. However, fans of the watered-down spectacle noticed something off about Mr. Rock's performance.
Throughout his show, Kid Rock repeatedly moved the microphone away from his mouth, waving his hands instead. It quickly became obvious that he was lip-syncing his whole performance, giving the audience no more than a dance routine over the top of pre-recorded lyrics. The show, which was supposed to be a celebration of English-speaking Americans, didn't even feature a headliner singing in any language at all.
With 6 million viewers, his blatant lip-syncing didn't go unnoticed, and even supporters of the alternate half-time show were put out by the lack of effort on the part of Kid Rock. Many viewers really hoped that their lineup would be a valid alternative to the enormous spectacle put on by the NFL, but having a headliner fake his lines upset quite a number online.
Quickly, memes spread, with Kid Rock being dubbed 'Hillbilly Vanilli' after the famous German R&B group known for their egregious lip-synching.
Meanwhile, as Kid Rock pretended to sing his songs, Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, and Ricky Martin wowed audiences around the world and drew a record-breaking 135 million viewers globally. The show, predominantly in Spanish, was a celebration of the millions of Spanish speakers living in the US, including Bad Bunny's home of Puerto Rico.
Artists have often been known to lip-sync at events like these. Sometimes it's for the sake of speeding up sound check, sometimes they're saving their voices for larger concerts, and sometimes the artist simply doesn't have the vocal power they once did. There are many reasons for it, but often, when done well, it can go unnoticed.
This wasn't the case for Kid Rock at the Turning Point USA halftime show alternative. He continually forgot to hold the microphone to his mouth and appeared to forget to even mouth the words on numerous occasions. Fans of the aging country rock singer, hoping for a patriotic, 'all-American' show, were left without much of a spectacle.
English (US) ·