Beyoncé knew the eyes of the world were on her as she performed at halftime of the NFL's Netflix holiday doubleheader and brandished a finger gesture that set social media on fire.
By making the gun gesture with his left pointer and middle finger high above the grass at NRG Stadium in his hometown of Houston, social media users mocked an NFL player doing the same thing.
“I would like to point out that Beyoncé is doing the double pistol gesture which is banned in the NFL and a 15 yard penalty,” said an NFL insider.
Making a weapon symbol of any type at an NFL game is an automatic 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. Beyoncé, of course, cannot be penalized.
Beyoncé's halftime show during the Texas-Ravens games was also her first performance since her husband Jay-Z was accused of rape, with a lawsuit accusing disgraced music mogul and rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs of raping to a 13-year-old girl at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty in New York in 2000.
Jay-Z strongly denied the allegations, and a lawyer for Diddy, who is currently awaiting trial and behind bars on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution, also denied the allegations.
Netflix promised a series of guest appearances and Shaboozey and Post Malone joined Beyoncé on stage at the beginning of her performance. During the final stretch, he was joined by his 12-year-old daughter Blue Ivy.
Beyoncé gave the finger, setting social media on fire during her NFL halftime show
Beyoncé knew the eyes of the world were on her while she performed at halftime in Texas.
Beyoncé's performance featured musical guests, including her 12-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy.
Beyoncé gave the finger gun as she concluded her eye-catching halftime performance at the end of her country hit 'TEXAS HOLD 'EM', where she was lifted from the temporary stage high into the air in the middle of the massive stadium.
“I'm glad I wasn't the only one to notice.”
“We had all the other stereotypes of Texas: why not guns?”
'I literally said the same thing to my husband as soon as she did it. “Everything was horrible.”
“It's also worth noting that Beyoncé is appropriating a culture that has been banned by the left.”
It is unclear whether the gesture was part of her performance or some type of protest in front of millions of eyes on her.
It was his first performance since he last took the stage in October 2023 to conclude his successful Renaissance World Tour at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
During the first half of Netflix's NFL doubleheader, Kansas City Chiefs stars Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy received 15-yard penalties for touchdown celebrations.
A collection of social media posts about Beyoncé's Netflix Christmas halftime show
Beyoncé's Christmas show was her third major performance at halftime of an NFL game.
She was the solo headliner of the Super Bowl halftime show in 2013 and was a special guest alongside Bruno Mars during Coldplay's Super Bowl show three years later.
Many online were also wowed by his performance and said that next year's Super Bowl headliner, Kendrick Lamar, had his work cut out for him.
The show also marked the first time Beyoncé performed songs from her latest album, Cowboy Carter, live.
Despite her husband's lawsuit, Beyoncé is reportedly still scheduled to continue her upcoming world stadium tour.
On Monday, a source close to the Texas Hold Em singer told The Sun that she is scheduled to announce her next series of shows within weeks, and they say it will kick off in Los Angeles in March.
The source revealed: “It's been a very difficult few months for Beyoncé, but she's very focused on making her upcoming tour a success.”
'The next few weeks are crucial as he will announce a new album and a new tour. “The announcement was supposed to be made a couple of weeks ago, but it was postponed,” the source continued.