Rihanna has officially claimed the Guinness World Record for the most-watched halftime show in history with her Super Bowl LVII performance. The highly anticipated show marked the singer’s return to the stage after a five-year hiatus, captivating over 121.017 million viewers according to Guinness World Records.
This achievement surpasses the previous record set by Katy Perry’s Super Bowl XLIX halftime show in 2015, which garnered 121 million viewers.
Initially, Nielsen Holdings reported that Rihanna’s performance attracted only 118.7 million viewers. However, the data-collection company was forced to adjust the numbers, citing “irregularities” in the way the audience was measured back in February.
To put Rihanna’s accomplishment into perspective, her halftime show was viewed by some 6 million more people than had viewed any Super Bowl game. Guinness World Records reported that the 2023 Super Bowl game drew in 115.1 million viewers — also a figure that had to be adjusted for those irregularities — surpassing the previous record set in 2015 with 114.442 million.
Rihanna’s Feb. 12 performance in Glendale, Arizona, might be best remembered for leaving the crowd speechless after she set social media afire by rubbing her belly, singing while suspended above the field. That led to rampant speculation that she was pregnant with her and A$AP Rocky’s second child, which was confirmed when she gave birth to Riot Rose Mayers on Aug. 1.
Despite the shock value, the iconic artist delivered a mesmerizing performance with hits like “Diamonds,” “We Found Love” and “Wild Thoughts.”
Now that she has given birth, there are rumors that new music could be in the works.
This is not the first time Rihanna has obtained a Guinness World Record. Some of her most acclaimed Guinness World Records include, “Most consecutive years of UK No.1 singles,” “Richest musician (female),” “Most cumulative weeks on UK singles chart in a calendar year” and “Most digital No. 1 singles in the US.”
