Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show draws just 100 complaints despite Donald Trump’s attack

Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show received just 103 complaints out of 113 million viewers despite drawing the ire of former president Donald Trump.

Less than one in a million viewers, therefore, lodged a complaint with the FCC (the US equivalent of Ofcom) – a figure that pales in comparison to other halftime shows over the years.

On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump branded the “Umbrella” singer’s performance an “epic fail”.

He wrote: “Rihanna gave, without question, the single worst Halftime Show in Super Bowl history – This after insulting far more than half of our Nation, which is already in serious DECLINE, with her foul and insulting language. Also, so much for her ‘Stylist!’”

The Barbadian star has made her feelings known for Trump in the past, posing in front of graffiti that read “f*** Trump” in an Instagram post shared while the Republican was vying for a second term in office.

Rihanna revealed her second pregnancy during the show, crashing Twitter in the process due to a surge in site traffic.

The singer performed in a red jumpsuit that covered her entire body. Nevertheless, complainants took issue with her twerking and holding her crotch area, which they categorised as “too sexualised”, per Daily Mail.

103 is a trifling figure, though, compared to halftime shows of the past. Recently. Shakira and Jennifer Lopez received 1,312 complaints for their 2020 performance, again because some viewers conceived their dancing as overtly sexual.

None, of course, will top Janet Jackson’s infamous 2004 Super Bowl controversy, which drew more than 540,000 complaints after a wardrobe malfunction exposed the singer’s breast.

As for the 112,999,897 viewers who had no complaints, Rihanna’s performance was met with widespread acclaim.

In The Independent’s five-star review, Mark Beaumont called the halftime show a “roaring success”.

Rihanna will next perform at the Oscars ceremony in March, it was announced this week.

She will perform her single from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, “Lift Me Up”, which is nominated for Best Original Song.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Rihanna’s father also found out about his daughter’s pregnancy at the Super Bowl show.