Lil Jon revealed the reason Justin Bieber did not perform during Usher’s Super Bowl halftime show amidst fan speculation and anticipated that the “Baby” singer would join his longtime mentor and collaborator on stage.
“We wanted to put Justin in the show, so we had the idea of doing a version of the show with Justin in it,” Lil Jon, who performed alongside Usher on Super Bowl Sunday, told TMZ on Wednesday.
“But I think Justin just wasn’t really ready to have a lot of rehearsal, a lot of responsibility, a lot of time and a lot of eyeballs. I don’t know if he was ready to do all of that, you know?”
The “Shots” singer continued, “I mean, he definitely was there supporting Ush and they’re really good friends and he definitely was supporting him.”
Alicia Keys, Jermaine Dupri, H.E.R., Will.i.am, and Ludacris also surprised fans during the “Confessions” star’s set while Justin and his wife, Hailey Bieber, sang along from the stands.
Earlier this month, the “Sorry” singer performed live in public for the first time in two years at the NHL All-Star Weekend after canceling his “Justice World Tour” due to health reasons.
The Biebs first postponed his shows in September 2022 before canceling them for good in March 2023 following temporary facial paralysis after a diagnosis of Ramsay Hunt syndrome. He told fans at the time that the shows he did perform had “taken a real toll” and he needed more time to “rest and get better.”
Lil Jon concluded Wednesday that the months of preparation may have been too much for Bieber to take on right now.
“It’s a lot of time you have to dedicate to being in a show like this,” he explained. “It’s not just okay, just go do one rehearsal then you get on stage. Just a lot of time’s dedicated — so I don’t think he was ready for all that.”
The Post has contacted reps for Usher and Bieber for comment.
Lil Jon’s claims come after sources told Page Six that Bieber didn’t perform at the Super Bowl because he “wasn’t feeling it.”
