On Nov. 10, worship singer Cory Asbury released a statement telling his social media followers that he and Forrest Frank will no longer be pursuing Asbury’s dream of an alternative Super Bowl halftime show in 2026.
Asbury’s announcement came less than a week after he announced that it would be taking place, just not with Turning Point USA (TPUSA).
Last month, Asbury proposed the idea of alternative, family-friendly halftime show for the Super Bowl following the NFL’s announcement that Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny would perform the 2026 Apple Music Super Bowl halftime show.
“Every year, everyone is all up in arms about the performer for the halftime show, and I get it because, 9 times out of 10, it’s raunchy as heck,” said Asbury.
Asbury’s proposal immediately got Frank’s attention, and Frank instantly became linked to the future performance. “So about a month ago, Forrest and I soft-launched this idea of an alternative halftime show. People loved it. It took off. It went viral quickly. [It] seemed like there was a desire for something like this,” Asbury said in his Oct. 4 video.
“In the midst of that, Turning Point USA announced their own alternative halftime show, no venue, no artist. But they said, ‘Hey, we’re doing this.’ So in the spirit of unity, Forrest and I jumped on a call with their team to talk it through,” Asbury said. He shared that the conversation was a “productive, amicable discussion,” but they came to the realization that “at the end of the day, the two visions are just incompatible.”
Cory Asbury Shares Alternative Super Bowl Halftime Show Will Not Happen This Year
“Hey friends,” Asbury posted, “I want to update everyone and clear the air about the ‘alternative halftime show.’”
“What started as a dream to lift up the name of Jesus during one of the biggest moments of the year began to devolve into something else, something distracting,” Asbury continued. “After much prayer, we’ve decided not to move forward with it in its current form. Not forever, just not now.”
Asbury made it clear that his dream was “never about rivalry.” He explained, “It’s not us vs. Bad Bunny. It’s not us vs. Turning Point USA. It’s not about politics, parties, or proving a point.” He said, “The heart was never competition, just worship. We want whatever we do next to be pure and focused solely on Jesus, not on headlines, not on hype.”
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“We do believe there is something great to come in the spirit of what we were dreaming up but sense there is a different expression God has in mind,” added the “Reckless Love” singer.
