Zach Bryan has sparked a new debate surrounding Super Bowl halftime politics after publicly criticizing Kid Rock’s alternative show organized by Turning Point USA, calling it “embarrassing” and “shrinking” before deleting the posts.
The country singer shared his reaction shortly after the 2026 Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show on Sunday, February 8, which was headlined by Bad Bunny.
While the official halftime was airing, Turning Point USA promoted its own All-American Halftime Show, hosted by Kid Rock.
Bryan, 29, mocked the idea in a now-deleted Instagram story, posting a snap of someone watching Kid Rock’s performance on a phone while physically blocking Bad Bunny’s show from the screen.
“What kid rock actually thinks is happening all over America,” Bryan captioned the photo, according to a screenshot later shared on X.
The post quickly received backlash.
In a follow-up story, which was also later deleted, Bryan shared a direct message he received from a social media user who accused him of selling out.
“You were my favorite artist. Now you’re nothing more than another dumba–out touch elitist,” the message read.
Bryan answered bluntly and made his position clear regardless of political affiliation.
“I don’t care what side you’re on, a bunch of adults throwing tantrums and their own halftime show is embarrassing as hell and the scariest s— on the planet,” he captioned the screenshot.
Turning Point USA had advertised its event as a “family-friendly, values-driven” alternative aimed at viewers looking for “uplifting, patriotic entertainment.”
Kid Rock, a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, performed alongside country artists Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert and Gabby Barrett.
The performance later drew its own criticism, with viewers accusing Kid Rock of lip-syncing during it Bawitdaba from his The devil without a cause album.
The 55-year-old musician, born Robert James Ritchie, addressed the allegations during a performance on February 10. Fox News‘The Ingraham angle.
“It was out of sync,” Kid Rock said, denying the accusation. He added that if the performance had been pre-recorded, “it would have been super easy to sync it up if it was pre-recorded.”
He further explained, saying, “I’m jumping around the stage like a rabid monkey, rapping my song and I’m breathing and my DJ fills in the other parts of it… I even told them when I saw the rough cut that I was like, ‘You guys need to work on that sync.’ It’s turned off.”
He later described it as a technical issue and said that production had tried to fix it but found it difficult.
Bryan wasn’t the only artist to weigh in after the Super Bowl.
Kacey Musgraves also praised Bad Bunny’s halftime performance while taking a pointed swipe at Kid Rock.
“Well. It made me feel more proudly American than anything Kid Rock has ever done,” she wrote on X.
While Bryan has since removed his posts, the reaction highlights how this year’s Super Bowl halftime programming extended beyond music, rekindling conversations about politics, patriotism and how artists choose to respond when entertainment and ideology collide.
