When to watch the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show if you only care to watch Rihanna

Football? Nope. Rihanna? Of course.
By
Tim Marcin
 on 
Rihanna at a film premiere
Rihanna is back and lots of people could care less about the football at the 2023 Super Bowl. Credit: Axelle/ Bauer-Griffin/ FilmMagic / Getty Images

Not everyone is a football fan. That's alright, especially this Sunday's Super Bowl. To be honest, the Super Bowl is hardly about the game anymore, anyway. There's the commercials, the great snacks, and, of course, the halftime show.

But this year's Super Bowl halftime show isn't just any halftime show. That's because Rihanna is using the big stage to make her triumphant return to music.

If you could care less about about the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday — go birds — then we've got you covered. We did our best to help you time out when, exactly, you need to start paying attention to the 2023 Super Bowl so you don't miss any of the Rihanna action.

Mashable Top Stories
Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news.
Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter
By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up!

When to watch the Rihanna Super Bowl Halftime Show

OK, but first things first: There is no guarantee for the exact time Rihanna will take the stage. Football games don't really work like that. They take different amounts of time to finish due to clock stoppages, commercial breaks, and a whole bunch of football minutiae the you didn't come here to read about.

The game itself is scheduled to kickoff at 6:30 pm ET. An NFL football game is composed of four, 15-minute quarters but, oh no, you sweet summer child that does not mean Rihanna will be going on for a 7 p.m. halftime. A typical Super Bowl broadcast lasts about 3 hours and 44 minutes — and they're not getting any shorter. Typically speaking you can expect the extended halftime to begin about 90 minutes after kickoff. So again, a rough estimate would put Rihanna onstage around 8 p.m. ET.

To be safe, however, I'd start watching around 7:30 p.m. ET. At the very least you can flick on the game to see how much time is left in the first half.

This is, after all, a supremely anticipated halftime show. You don't want to miss a minute. This will be Rihanna's first time back on stage since 2018, which is a freaking long time for a superstar to be away. So make sure you tune-in a bit early and get the full spectacle of Rihanna's assuredly amazing return to music.

Topics Super Bowl

close-up of man's face
Tim Marcin
Associate Editor, Culture

Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).


Recommended For You

Samuel L. Jackson narrates Kendrick Lamar's halftime show as 'Uncle Sam'
By Trisha Easto
Samuel L. Jackson on a stage.

How to watch Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show
A man crouches on a car on stage, holding a microphone.


Kendrick Lamar plays 'Not Like Us' during Super Bowl Halftime Show
Kendrick Lamar standing on stage.

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 15, 2025
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 15, 2025
Wordle game on a smartphone

Want to be an AI action figure? Just give ChatGPT a full-body pic.
open ai logo on a phone

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 14, 2025
Connections game on a smartphone

Sony’s WF-1000XM5 earbuds are 40% off at Amazon
Sony WF-1000XM5 on a glitter gradient background
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!