Lil Jon revealed the explanation Justin Bieber didn’t 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 desired to put Justin within the show, so we had the thought 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 believe Justin just wasn’t really able to have loads of rehearsal, loads of responsibility, loads of time and loads of eyeballs. I don’t know if he was able to do all of that, you recognize?”
The “Shots” singer continued, “I mean, he definitely was there supporting Ush and so 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 through 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 primary time in two years on the NHL All-Star Weekend after canceling his “Justice World Tour” as a result of 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 on the time that the shows he did perform had “taken an actual toll” and he needed more time to “rest and recover.”
Lil Jon concluded Wednesday that the months of preparation can have been an excessive amount of for Bieber to tackle at once.
“It’s loads of time you’ve to dedicate to being in a show like this,” he explained. “It’s not only okay, just go do one rehearsal then you definitely get on stage. Just loads 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 on the Super Bowl because he “wasn’t feeling it.”