As the date for the year's biggest football game nears, there are still some lingering questions that go beyond which team will come away with the victory. I mean, will Lady Gaga protest Donald Trump at the 2017 Super Bowl? The outspoken artist was chosen to perform at the halftime show all the way back in September, before the results of the election were revealed. However, she's made no secret of her views on the President in the months since. So will she bring those views to one of the greatest stages in sports?
There's no official word yet, which is understandable since details of these kinds of large-scale performances are pretty closely-guarded. But it certainly seems like a possibility that Gaga will take advantage of the platform to voice her dissent. After all, it's been a conversation topic.
In mid-January, Entertainment Tonight reported that they had a source saying that "Lady Gaga was told by the NFL that she cannot say anything or bring anything up about the election, or mention Donald Trump." The NFL swiftly countered those claims, releasing the following statement:
The Super Bowl is a time when people really come together. 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.
They called the rumor "nonsense from people trying to stir up controversy where there is none," but it's notable that there was neither confirmation nor denial from the NFL about whether the President or the election would be a topic.
It also seems to be a possibility weighing heavily on the minds of some Trump supporters, however, as one filed a petition on Change.org, asking for the removal of Gaga as a performer, citing her support of a petition asking the Electoral College not to vote for Donald Trump:
Lady Gaga has proudly spearheaded this petition, and wildly promoted it along with her challenging of the voters decision in front of Trump Tower. Having the want to disregard and mute millions of American voters, makes her completely undeserving of such a platform as the Super Bowl.
The petition has garnered almost 2,500 signatures so far. So, even though there's no confirmation either way, the assumption from both supporters and critics of Gaga seems to be that she'll take the opportunity to say something. In any case, the NFL has certainly made clear that they won't stand in her way, so it's really up to her how she chooses to utilize her voice and her talent in this particular moment.
