'Disgusting': Super Bowl halftime show with JLo, Shakira draws over FCC 1,300 complaints
Over 1,300 complaints poured in to the Federal Communications Commission about this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, with viewers calling it “disgusting” and equating it to a “porn show.”
"I am appalled at how a television network allowed such a disgusting display of the degrading of women and basically a porn show during the hours of family viewing," a viewer from New Jersey said, according to CNN. "This has pushed me to boycott this network and the NFL. Both obviously missed the description of what it is to empower a woman."
Another viewer from Ogden, Utah, complained, “The halftime show for the 2020 superbowl was COMPLETELY inappropriate. This should be a family friendly show. Because of the completley inappropriate performances by JLo and Shakira we were exposed to an adult only show that you would see in Las Vegas. I am completely disappointed that this is acceptable to show on television. I am disgusted that these performances were not censored before hand. If they were censored, they weren't censored adequately. I feel bad for my daughters who think that type of behavior is acceptable and that they should dress and perform inappropriate acts.”
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The halftime show early this month featured Latin pop artists Shakira and Jennifer Lopez performing their most popular songs. Many parents and Christian commentators complained that they were scantily clad, dancing in sexually suggestive ways — complete with a stripper pole — and pointing their behinds and crotches to the cameras.
Some 102 million viewers watched Super Bowl LIV. Many expected it to be a family-friendly show and expressed shock over the need to turn their children’s heads the other way or switch the channel.
March for Life President Jeanne F. Mancini tweeted during the game, "Ugh. We can’t have something that little kids can watch? Embarrassing for everyone I’m with — looking away, etc. Friends son got distracted by smart dad so he wouldn’t see it. We can do better!"
The 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, where Janet Jackson had a wardrobe malfunction, drew 540,000 complaints. The FCC fined CBS $550,000 but the fine was voided by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
Complaints filed with the FCC are used “to inform policy making and potential enforcement activities.”
