That might not be the case this year, as ET reports that Lady Gaga “was told by the NFL that she cannot say anything or bring anything up about the election, or mention Donald Trump.”
And this would make sense, as Beyoncé’s performance last year outraged many conservative critics—notably angry melted mannequin, Rudy Giuliani. “This is football, not Hollywood,” he said the next day, clearly missing the fact that Beyoncé—an musician—was performing music and not throwing a ball to a muscular person in a helmet.
The NFL, however, denies this report, saying it’s “nonsense from people trying to stir up controversy where there is none.”
“The Super Bowl is a time when people really come together,” said a statement from the NFL, which kind of sounds like something you’d say when you don’t want your event to be political. “Lady Gaga is focused on putting together an amazing show for fans, and we love working with her on it; we aren’t going to be distracted by this.”
But this would be the perfect moment for Lady Gaga to make a statement. She’s long been an LGBTQ advocate and Hillary Clinton supporter, having performed at a number of the Democratic candidate’s rallies in 2016. She’s also an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, calling out his reckless campaigning and his empowerment of racism and intolerance.
A statement like this could come at a price, though. The NFL filed a $16.6 million lawsuit against M.I.A. after she flashed her middle finger to the camera during her Super Bowl XLVI halftime show.