(NEXSTAR) – It’s almost unthinkable that Up With People has been invited to perform at the Super Bowl on five separate occasions, and yet Taylor Swift never once headlined the Halftime Show.
Her fans, however, are convinced that 2023 is looking like her year, thanks to a couple of “clues” they believe the NFL and Apple Music dropped overnight.
The Super Bowl Halftime Show, which was most recently presented by Pepsi, has picked up a new sponsor in Apple Music, the NFL announced Friday. To coincide with the announcement, both the NFL and Apple Music shared social-media posts announcing their partnership at the stroke of midnight.
In doing so, they also set Swifties salivating.
The timing of the midnight posts, fans believe, is a reference to Swift’s upcoming album “Midnights,” which is due on Oct. 21. Some were also convinced that the font featured in the announcements matched that of her “Midnights” album cover.
“That’s 100% a Taylor Swift superbowl halftime show hint. Posted at midnight. In the Midnights font. SEE YOU IN FEBRUARY,” wrote one fan on Twitter.
“Super chaotic that the NFL announced the Super Bowl sponsor at midnight, so we all collectively knew it was going to be Taylor Swift playing the show. I love it so much,” another tweeted.
As pointed out by Variety, TMZ, and several other major entertainment outlets, Swift has also famously endorsed Diet Coke — a fact which wouldn’t have made her an ideal choice for a halftime performer between 2013 and 2022, when Pepsi was the event’s official sponsor.
Apple Music, on the other hand, was previously the exclusive home of Swift’s entire music catalog. Swift also starred in a 2016 commercial for Apple Music, in which she painfully faceplants on a treadmill.
Despite the speculation, neither Apple Music nor the NFL have confirmed Swift’s involvement at the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Variety, meanwhile, is already reporting that “it’s happening,” citing three “sources close to the situation.” People magazine, on the other hand, claims they have learned just the opposite — that Swift is in no way scheduled to perform.
In any case, one thing is certain this early ahead of the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show: Up With People is almost certainly still available.