NEW ORLEANS — A performer who was part of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show was detained by security after waving the Sudanese flag and Palestinian flag together with the words “Sudan” and “Gaza” written on them toward the end of the performance, the NFL said.

Everything you need to know in order to watch Kendrick Lamar's much-anticipated 2025 Super Bowl halftime show.

In its framing, narrative approach, and density, Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl was unlike any that have come before it.

Kendrick Lamar is headlining the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, but he wasn't the only star to take the stage. As Lamar ran through the hits, including the one song everyone was waiting to hear (except Drake), he was joined by several guest stars.

A performer in Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show was detained on the field and could face charges after unfurling a combination Sudanese-Palestinian flag with “Sudan” and “Gaza” written on it.

From the songs he performed to the surprise guests, here's what you need to know about Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show

I’m not sure when else you’d see a Pulitzer Prize winner performing the halftime show at Super Bowl LIV, but 2025 owes us one, apparently. And so, Kendrick Lamar (who also won five Grammys at last week’s ceremony) hit the stage along with “unexpected” guest SZA — to perform 15 minutes of his biggest hits as the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs hit their locker rooms to prepare for the second half.

Kendrick Lamar said viewers can expect storytelling above all from his Super Bowl halftime show. Fans got all of that, and more.

A performer at Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show unfurled a flag referencing both Sudan and the Gaza Strip, providing a brief protest referencing two wars shaking the Middle East. Security at the stadium detained the performer shortly after waving the flag atop a car used as a prop in the performance.

No one involved with the production was aware of the individual’s intent,” the N.F.L. said in a statement about the protest during Kendrick Lamar’s show.