With the 2024 Super Bowl came almost predictable claims that a celebrity had shown signs of being a Satanist during the game. While the star targeted in these rumors — rapper Ice Spice — was new, claims of a famous person showing proof that they secretly worship Satan during the big game has become very, very common.
Here are some of those claims that we've fact-checked recently:
Some observers claimed they saw elements of a "Satanic ritual" in Lady Gaga's halftime performance at the 2017 Super Bowl. Anyone can claim to be an expert on "Satanism," but that doesn't mean they actually know what they're talking about. If you shed such ideas before watching Lady Gaga's actual performance, you'll wonder how anyone could seriously interpret it as a reenactment of Lucifer being tossed out of heaven (fact check).
While The Weeknd had actually used satanic imagery in his music videos, claims that his halftime performance at the 2021 Super Bowl had the word "Satan" briefly appear on screen during the set were false. The image actually came from a 2017 concert at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark (fact check).
When Rihanna headlined the halftime show at the 2023 Super Bowl, a photo spread online supposedly revealing the belt buckle on her jumpsuit was in the shape of a "satanic" five-pointed star. High-quality photographs revealed it was just a regular belt buckle, no stars involved — other than the one wearing the outfit, of course (fact check).
One claim of supposed celebrity satanism at the Super Bowl didn't even involve a performer at the halftime show. Claims spread on social media that Ice Spice wore an upside-down cross to the 2024 Super Bowl, representing a devotion to Satanism. While she did wear the necklace, the inverted cross represents the martyrdom of St. Peter and is called the Cross of St. Peter in the Catholic tradition (fact check).