Kid Rock is responding to criticism over accusations of lip-syncing during his halftime show for Turning Point USA. Many on social media claimed that his rendition of “Bawitdaba” didn’t sync with the video feed, prompting him to clarify on X.
He stated, “My halftime performance was pre-recorded but performed live. There was no lip syncing as haters and fake news are trying to report. The cameras were out of sync, and that’s why it didn’t match.”
In a follow-up video, he elaborated that the confusion stemmed from a directing mistake rather than anything artificial about his performance. “First off, if I were to lip-sync, I wouldn’t choose that song… We’ve been playing it live since 1998.” He mentioned that they sent him a rough cut for review, and he pointed out the syncing issues right away.
Turning Point USA streamed simultaneously with the Super Bowl halftime show featuring Bad Bunny, and Kid Rock shared the stage with artists like Lee Brice and Brantley Gilbert.
After the performance, clips circulated quickly online, with skeptics claiming that he didn’t perform live. Kid Rock dismissed these narratives as false. “I have nothing but good things to say about Turning Point and their production team,” he said, adding that errors happen in live events. “Most people know the truth, but some keep repeating these false claims.”
He compared the situation to media coverage of Bad Bunny, noting how exaggerations are common across the board. His earlier appearance on a show reinforced his commitment to having fun despite the haters, saying, “We were off-sync, and it’s just part of the game.” He plans to perform the song live again to prove the point, emphasizing the energetic nature of his act.
Kid Rock concluded by reiterating that if they had truly lip-synced, such mistakes would not have occurred. “If it had been pre-recorded, syncing would have been much easier. I was all over the stage, and yes, the syncing issues were challenging for the crew.”
