What was meant to be a defiant, flag-waving alternative to the Super Bowl halftime show instead exploded into chaos as Kid Rock was accused of miming his way through the night. As millions of NFL fans turned away from NBC’s broadcast, many instead logged onto YouTube to watch Turning Point USA’s rival “All-American” halftime show, staged in protest at the NFL’s decision to hand the coveted slot to Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny.

The alternative event, organised by Turning Point USA, was headlined by Kid Rock, with country acts Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett also appearing across the broadcast. But it was Kid Rock’s set that sparked an immediate backlash online, with fans accusing the rocker of lip syncing — and not even doing that convincingly. One viewer fumed: “Kid Rock doesnt even know how to lip sync constantly putting the mic down during his lyrics. Embarrassing.” Another wrote: “I dunno if it was just my feed, but man, Kid Rock sang like 9 words the rest was backing track lip sync bs, and he didn’t even try to hide it by not having his mic near his mouth half the time.

"I used to love Kid Rock back in HS so kinda sucks.” A third added bluntly: “the fact that kid rock couldn’t even lip sync his own song correctly is so embarrassing”.

Even some fans who otherwise enjoyed the show admitted the moment jarred, with one conceding: “Overall loved it minus the Kid Rock lip singing out of sync in the middle. It was great!”

Others, however, leapt to the singer’s defence. One supporter claimed: “Kid Rock was meant to lip sync to show that he is no longer that type of performer or person. If you watched it at all you would have understood that.”

Another insisted technical issues were to blame rather than the performer, posting: “Kid Rock doesn’t lip sync. He has been a Patriot long before it became a ‘thing’ to announce to the world.

"The stream couldn’t handle the views. Not a fan of TPUSA or Erika Fireworks Kirk, but I loved the show.”

The broadcast opened with a dedication from the host, telling viewers: “this one’s for you Charlie,” in tribute to Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who was murdered in September.

A dramatic rendition of the Stars and Stripes followed, as live stream numbers surged past three million.

Brantley took to the stage first, performing in front of a small live audience, before Gabby impressed with her vocals and Lee brought his trademark country sound to proceedings.

Kid Rock closed the show, initially appearing in shorts as his on-stage persona before being introduced by his real name, Robert Ritchie, for a stripped-back acoustic segment.

At the end of the performance, cameras pulled back to reveal images of Charlie, his wife Erica and their children, alongside the words: “In Remembrance of Charlie Kirk.”

Bad Bunny, meanwhile, had already faced criticism ahead of the official halftiame show, with Donald Trump previously remarking: “I don’t know who he is. I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s crazy.

"And then they blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”