PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) ─ Filings from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) show more than a dozen people from Rhode Island and Massachusetts filed complaints with the government agency regarding Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s Super Bowl halftime show.
Among the more than 1,300 complaints: two from Rhode Islanders and 16 from Massachusetts residents. The halftime performance received mixed reviews ─ some saw it as an impressive display of athleticism and talent by two entertainers over 40, while others saw it as vulgar and inappropriate.
“This was at least PG 13,” someone from Coventry told the FCC. “There needed to be parental guidance. Little kids love football, the display of sex was over the top.”
Names were redacted from the complaints released by the FCC.
A resident of Warwick told the agency it was “a disgrace to young kids and families to see such vulgar halftime show on NFL.”
Among the complaints from Massachusetts, this one from Whitinsville: “Inappropriate content during the Super Bowl half time show. X rated and hypersexual and suggestive. This is inappropriate for what is considered or should be a family-friendly event. If you want this type of trash, go to a strip club.”
According to the New York Times, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s controversial 2004 halftime performance (which included an infamous “wardrobe malfunction”) drew a record-breaking 540,000 FCC complaints.
