Backstreet Boys attend the 60th Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards in Frisco, Texas, U.S., May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Kaylee Greenlee Beal
(Las Vegas, Nevada) – During their Into The Millennium residency at the Las Vegas Sphere on February 11, AJ McLean floated the idea of the group headlining the 2027 Super Bowl Halftime Show—set to take place in Los Angeles.
“What do you guys think? Backstreet Boys: 2027 Super Bowl Halftime,” McLean asked the crowd in fan-captured video. “Let’s make it happen! I mean, why not? It’s in Los Angeles, it’s right down the street.”
The iconic boy band—made up of AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter and Brian Littrell—recently appeared in two commercials during the 2026 Super Bowl, fueling speculation they may be positioning themselves for a bigger stage. The group starred in a T-Mobile ad featuring “I Want It That Way” and a Coinbase karaoke spot with “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).”
Interestingly, the band previously turned down the halftime show. Nick Carter revealed in a 2021 interview that the group declined the opportunity to headline the 2001 Super Bowl, opting instead to perform the national anthem.
“At the time, we loved the Whitney Houston rendition of the national anthem. And for us, we got the choice and we passed on the halftime,” Carter said at the time, calling the experience memorable.
Now, more than two decades later, the group appears ready for a second chance—openly campaigning for the coveted halftime slot and even hinting at the possibility of teaming up with *NSYNC for a late-’90s nostalgia moment.
