There was a fair amount of backlash following Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s Super Bowl LIV halftime show, with many deeming the performance as too sexy.
Now, the Federal Communications Commission has revealed that it received over 1,300 complaints about the show, NBC News reports.
While a majority of the complaints focused on the show’s appropriateness, some mentioned the #MeToo movement, sex trafficking, and boycotting Pepsi, the Super Bowl, and the NFL, according to CNN.
Viewers from every state except Vermont submitted complaints to the FCC, which found that viewers from Texas lodged the most objections with 140. ABC affiliate WFAA observed that some of the complaints were duplicates, so it could be that viewers entered the same complaint numerous times. The complaints were anonymous once they became public on the FCC's website.
A complaint from Ogden, Utah said, “This should be a family-friendly show.” Instead, audiences “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,” this specific commenter added. “I am disgusted that these performances were not censored beforehand. 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.”
Another complaint likened the halftime show to pornography: “I do not subscribe to The Playboy Channel, we do not buy porn for $20 a flick, we simply wanted to sit down as a family and watch the Super Bowl,” it read. “God forbid we expected to watch football and a quick concert but instead had our eyes molested. Shame on you for allowing that to infiltrate our homes.”
On the other side of the coin, many praised Lopez and Shakira’s performances for the way it celebrated Latin culture. Lopez also responded to the notion that the show was too sexy. “I think that’s honestly silliness,” she told Variety. “Both of us are really respectful performers who are moms and have kids and are very conscious of what we do. We (put on) a show that I believe was a celebration of women and our Latino culture that I think was really well reserved.”
According to NBC, Adam Levine’s 2019 halftime show brought just 94 complaints, while Janet Jacket’s 2004 halftime show—the one with the wardrobe malfunction—generated a record 540,000 complaints.
