Today, the full list of nominees for the 2025 Emmy Awards was announced, and as expected, it's jam-packed with heavy hitters. Kendrick Lamar, for example, received a nod for his Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show. The performance featured various special guests, including SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams, and DJ Mustard.
He’s nominated for Outstanding Music Direction, Choreography (Variety/Reality), Outstanding Directing For a Variety Special, and Outstanding Variety Special (Live). He shares the final nomination with executive producers Jay-Z and Dave Free, per Pitchfork.
While the performance itself earned mixed reactions from both fans and peers, it broke the record for the most-watched Super Bowl Halftime Show in history with a staggering 133.5 million viewers. The record was previously held by Michael Jackson thanks to his 1993 Halftime Show. Kendrick won an Emmy Award back in 2022 for his performance at the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show.
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The Compton rapper's show was even mentioned in Drake's amended lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG). His legal team alleged that the performance of his hit diss track "Not Like Us" fueled allegedly defamatory accusations against him. For those who don't recall, Kendrick famously calls Drake along with his OVO crew alleged "certified pedophiles" in the Grammy-winning song.
Kendrick and Jay-Z aren't the only artists in the running for the Outstanding Variety Special (Live) award, however. The Roc Nation mogul's wife Beyonce is also nominated thanks to her Beyonce Bowl Netflix special. The songstress is also nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special.
The 2025 Emmy Awards will take place on September 14. It will be broadcast live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+. Other nominess include Kamasi Washington, the Roots’ Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Mark Ronson, Devo co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh, and more.
