NFL fans have been left divided after Charlie Puth sang the national anthem before Super Bowl LX – with some claiming the singer lip-synced his performance.
The New Jersey-born singer took to the stage on Sunday night ahead of the clash between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
However, Puth raised eyebrows with a ‘special arrangement’ of the Star-Spangled Banner – featuring a series of highly unusual vocal runs that left the crowd stunned.
While some debated the performance, others questioned whether Puth had lip-synced his performance and quickly rushed to social media to gain clarity.
‘I know Charlie Puth is like a pitch perfect guy but it sounded lip synced and idk man I just think it should always be live #SuperBowl,’ one wrote.
‘Did Charlie Puth just lip sync the national anthem?’ another fan questioned.
Fans have been left questioning whether Charlie Puth lip-synced prior to Super Bowl LX
Puth performed to nearly 70,000 fans inside Levi’s Stadium and millions watching worldwide
While some questioned the integrity of Puth’s performance, others were left split over the performance in general.
Taking to X, one viewer wrote: ‘This gotta be the worst national anthem I’ve heard.’
‘Charlie Puth singing like it’s the funeral of America,’ another wrote on the social media platform just moments before Super Bowl LX got underway.
‘One of the worst performances of the National anthem ever,’ another said online.
However, evidently, opinions were split as other fans poured on to social media to praise the Attention singer’s rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.
‘Charlie Puth just gave us one of the cleanest, most soulful National Anthems in Super Bowl history. That high note on ‘free’ with the flyover? Chills. Absolute perfection,’ one delighted user wrote on social media.
‘I thought Charlie Puth crushed it,’ one fan wrote on social media.
‘Charlie Puth with an outstanding rendition of the National Anthem! Well done,’ another said.
Puth had previously offered fans a teaser from his soundcheck on Saturday, with the empty stadium looming in the background.
He overlaid the clip with Whitney Houston’s 1991 national anthem performance. ‘I am singing the national anthem on Sunday, fully knowing that this version exists,’ he added in a caption.
The pregame ceremonies also featured Brandi Carlile’s rendition of ‘America the Beautiful’ and Coco Jones’ performance of ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing.’
The choice of Puth to sing The Star Spangled Banner was eviscerated and criticized on social media.
The Attention singer noticed some of that backlash, especially from conservative political commentator Link Lauren. He posted to X, ‘Man we’ve really fallen from when Whitney Houston sang at the Super Bowl. Charlie Puth? He’s not gonna give us vocals I’m afraid.’
Fans suggested that Puth did not actually sign while on the field at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday
Some fans watching at home were unimpressed by the singer’s national anthem performance
Puth offered fans a teaser from his soundcheck on Saturday. He overlaid the clip with Whitney Houston’s legendary 1991 national anthem performance, writing: ‘I am singing the national anthem on Sunday, fully knowing that this version exists…’
Puth saw the comment and replied: ‘I’ll never claim to be as good of a singer as Whitney Houston ever was. But I assure you we’re putting a really special arrangement together – in D major. It’ll be one of my best vocal performances.’
Puth has previously praised Houston’s rendition of the song – widely regarded as one of the greatest recorded in history – encouraging his followers to listen to it in a post in 2020.
The Grammy-nominated singer announced his selection for the job in a post to his Instagram account.
Puth explained to a room full of football players in uniform that the national anthem is one of the hardest songs to master because of the required vocal range to perform it.
The NFL has stood by their selection of Puth for one of the most coveted gigs in American music: ‘Charlie Puth has proven to be one of the industry’s most consistent hitmakers and sought-after collaborators across multiple genres,’ read an official announcement.
Puth’s performance preceded both Super Bowl LX and it’s half-time show, where Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny took to the stage despite major fan backlash.
In the build-up to the big game, a number of high-profile names – including US president Donald Trump – lamented the NFL’s decision to award the half-time show to Bad Bunny and revealed that they would be boycotting the game as a result.
Many, such as former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, revealed that they would, instead, be tuning into Turning Point USA’s own half-time show.
Despite this, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell previously insisted the NFL is happy with the call to have Bad Bunny, which was made with in conjunction with Roc Nation.
Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny will perform at Super Bowl LX’s half-time show on Sunday
The NFL defended its choice of Puth and Bad Bunny for the job after backlash (above: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell)
‘He’s one of the leading and most popular in the world. That’s what we try to achieve,’ he said at one the NFL’s league meetings in New York.
‘It’s an important stage for us, an important element to the entertainment value. It’s carefully thought through. I think it’s going to be an exciting and a united moment.’
The Latino artist has previously spoken out against the Trump administration and cited ICE agents as a reason why he did not include any mainland US dates for his tour – before once again calling out the federal law enforcement group at the 2026 Grammys last weekend.
‘Before I say thanks to god, I’m going to say, ICE Out,’ Bad Bunny said after winning an award.
He received a massive ovation from the crowd before he continued: ‘We are not savage. We are not animals. We are not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.
‘The hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. So, please, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love.
‘We don’t hate them, we love our people, we love our family, and that’s the way to do it, with love.’
