Scarborough Condemns Franklin Graham's Super Bowl Halftime Show Remarks
Morning Joe presenter Joe Scarborough has launched a scathing attack on prominent evangelist Reverend Franklin Graham, following Graham's recent complaint that the Super Bowl halftime show has become excessively sexualised. Scarborough, during his MSNBC programme on Monday, accused the pastor of providing cover for what he described as an immoral and corrupt regime, as well as members of the so-called Epstein class.
Graham's Alternative Halftime Plans Spark Controversy
Franklin Graham, the son of the late televangelist Billy Graham, informed his millions of followers on social media platform X last week that he intended to skip the official Super Bowl halftime performance. Instead, he planned to watch Turning Point's alternative halftime show, which featured Kid Rock as the headliner. In a post on Thursday, Graham criticised the NFL for pushing a sexualised agenda by selecting popular Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny for the main event.
Scarborough responded with fury, highlighting that the alternative performer, Kid Rock, has previously glorified sexual encounters with underage girls in his music. The host specifically referenced lyrics from Kid Rock's 2021 song 'Cool, Daddy Cool', which include the lines: 'Young ladies, young ladies, I like him underage, see? Some say that statutory.' These lyrics have recently gone viral, drawing significant attention and criticism.
Scarborough's On-Air Rebuke and Social Media Response
During his broadcast, the 62-year-old Scarborough read the controversial lyrics aloud before delivering his verdict. He condemned what he perceived as false self-righteousness and posing, describing it as a sham. Scarborough asserted that Graham's stance was in defence of a corrupt and immoral regime, with many individuals within that regime belonging to the Epstein class.
'You know the false… just the self-righteousness, the posing – that's all a sham. All in defence of a corrupt, corrupt regime and an immoral, corrupt regime,' Scarborough stated regarding Franklin Graham. 'And the people in that regime all, it seems, [are] a lot of the members of the Epstein class. Either members of the Epstein class, as Jon Ossoff said this weekend, or defenders of the Epstein class and protectors of the Epstein class and protectors of Epstein files. And that's who Franklin Graham is getting self-righteous for.'
Scarborough also engaged directly with Graham on social media, posting a reply on X that included the contentious Kid Rock lyrics. Accompanied by brief commentary, Scarborough simply wrote: 'Enjoy.'
Political and Cultural Context of the Halftime Performances
The NFL's choice of Bad Bunny as the halftime performer faced backlash from conservative circles, largely due to the artist's political views and past criticism of the Trump administration. During his performance on Sunday, Bad Bunny largely avoided overt political statements, instead focusing on celebrating Latino culture with rich symbolism and powerful messages.
The 31-year-old artist, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has previously expressed reluctance to tour in the United States to protect his fans from potential encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). At the Grammy Awards last week, Bad Bunny used his acceptance speech for Best Album of the Year to voice his stance, telling the audience: 'Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say, ICE out.'
He continued: 'We’re not savage. We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans. I know it’s tough to not hate these days. And I was thinking, sometimes we get contaminados (contaminated). ... The hate gets more powerful with more hate. So please, we need to be different if we fight, we have to do it with love. If, yeah, we don’t hate them. We love our people. We love our family, and that’s the way to do it. With love. Don’t forget that, please.'
Similar themes were displayed on Levi Stadium's Jumbo-Tron during the show, with the message: 'The only thing more powerful than hate is love.' Another band with anti-MAGA sentiments, Green Day, also performed, though neither artist openly criticised the administration.
Turning Point's Alternative Show and Political Connections
Meanwhile, Kid Rock's alternative halftime performance, organised by Turning Point, garnered substantial viewership. According to Turning Point spokesman Andrew Kolvet, the show received at least 20 million views from Americans who opted out of the official broadcast. Kolvet described the event as a massive success and expressed pride in the performance, noting that the late founder Charlie Kirk, whose evangelical faith heavily influenced his work, would have been pleased.
Franklin Graham's relationship with former President Donald Trump adds another layer to this controversy. Although Graham has never formally endorsed Trump, he attended Trump's second inauguration last year. When questioned by reporters in Berlin about whether Trump's negative reputation in Europe might affect his evangelistic efforts overseas, Graham responded: 'I don’t work for him. President Trump is the president of the United States, I didn’t place him there, it was the millions of Americans who voted for him. He will be the president for the next three and a half years, it is what it is. After Trump, there will be another president, and that person may be popular in Europe or maybe not. Politicians come and then go, but God’s Word stays the same.'
Furthermore, after Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November, Graham dismissed the impending release of related documents as a Democrat hoax. It is noteworthy that Graham's name did not appear in any of the Epstein documents, unlike Trump's. Trump himself has also referred to the scandal surrounding these documents as a Democrat hoax, despite having signed the legislation mandating their disclosure.
