Kid Rock leaves Bill Maher speechless with DEI hot take on Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: During the episode of 'Real Time with Bill Maher' on Friday, February 14, legendary rock artist Kid Rock left host Bill Maher momentarily speechless after offering a bold and controversial opinion on Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl 2025 halftime performance.

Maher asked Kid Rock about the reaction to Lamar’s show, which featured an all-Black cast of performers, and whether he agreed with critics who saw it as a showcase of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts.

Kid Rock defends Kendrick Lamar's performance

Kid Rock’s response sparked a heated moment in their discussion, drawing attention to its provocative nature. “To put it nicely, it wasn’t my cup of tea, but I got to respect it,” Rock began, acknowledging the criticism while framing it within his own experiences in the music industry, the New York Post reported.

“And here’s why: I grew up loving, emulating all things hip-hop, break dancing, deejaying, graffiti, rapping, and so I understand the culture a little bit more than most. And when I say most, of course, I mean White people.”

The musician, known for his unapologetic and often controversial opinions, went on to explain how he could relate to Lamar’s performance, citing his career that also defied mainstream expectations.

Kid Rock compared Lamar’s bold, no-apologies approach to his career in music, saying, “So watching it… after it’s a lot of things going through your head, you know, everyone’s like, ‘That sucks,’ this, that and the other."

He added, "I’m like, this kid pretty much came out figuratively with both middle fingers in the air, doing what he does for the people who love what he does unapologetically. And I don’t think he gives a frog’s fat a*s what anyone thinks about it. So I go, ‘huh.’ It’s pretty much how I built my whole career. I gotta respect it.”

Kid Rock leaves Bill Maher speechless

Kid Rock speculated about how Kendrick Lamar landed the Super Bowl gig, suggesting that Colin Kaepernick, the former NFL quarterback, unintentionally opened the door for artists like Lamar to perform.

He points out that no one seems to have answered the question of how Lamar got the opportunity, and wonders if Jay-Z had something to do with it.

Kid Rock humorously proposes that both Jay-Z and Lamar should thank Kaepernick by sending him a bundt cake, a six-pack of beer, and a note with cash, because, in his view, Kaepernick's anthem protest created the controversy that eventually led to Lamar getting the gig.

As the conversation continued, Kid Rock’s commentary became even more pointed, particularly when he discussed the significance of Lamar's choice to include only Black artists in the performance.

He called it “the epitome of DEI blowing up” and argued that it was a powerful, albeit controversial, statement against the NFL’s diversity efforts.

“It’s like all Black people or all people of color speaking to his crowd in the hood, Black people. It was like the most exclusive thing ever and I’m like, ‘F**k yeah, that’s awesome.’ I’m laughing my ass off,” said Kid Rock, clearly amused by the irony of the situation.

Maher was left momentarily speechless, fumbling over his words as he processed Kid Rock’s take. After a brief laugh, Maher quickly changed the subject, likely caught off guard by the boldness of the remarks.

Kid Rock's Super Bowl comments spark debate online

The exchange sparked a range of reactions online, with some agreeing with Kid Rock’s view that the performance was an intentional pushback against DEI initiatives,

A user wrote, "He’s not wrong. There wasn’t a single White person on the stage out of hundreds of people."

Another added, "He's right! It was the most exclusive half-time show I've ever seen. The total opposite of DEI which the NFL goes out of their way to support. The NFL needs to fire the Commissioner and return to a reasonable middle ground more representative of their fan base."

A third commented, "Nailed it."

"I said exactly the same thing on the day. 100% agree with @KidRock," said a fan.

However, others criticized the rock star for trivializing the deeper cultural and political significance of Lamar’s performance.

One X user claimed, "Kid Rock is dumb and so is Bill Maher for having him on his show. The problem with Maher is he normalizes wacky people like Kid Rock. DEI had nothing to with lamar's performance. One out of two movies, plays, tv shows etc have nothing but White people. I mean give me a break."

"Kid Rock is a trophy hunting self-promoting retard. Make him disappear," a comment read.

Another wrote, "Horrible take. I’ll fix it for ya… Bill Maher genuinely does not know of how to react to Kid Rock implying that JayZ got his job with the NFL because of DEI Kid Rocks ignorant statement most definitely did not go over Bills head. The pause was him being surprised."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.