Which artists have publicly accepted or denied participation in TPUSA’s All American Halftime Show?
Executive summary (2–3 sentences)
TPUSA has publicly teased an “All American Halftime Show” but has not released an official lineup, and most name-checks circulating online remain unconfirmed or debunked; TPUSA’s PR says performers are “locked in” but declined to disclose names [1]. A handful of performers have explicitly pushed back on viral claims — notably worship artist Cory Asbury and collaborator Forrest Frank said they would not participate [2] — while other high-profile names have been the subject of AI-boosted fabrications or unverified rumors that their camps deny or have not confirmed [3] [4].
1. The organizer’s posture: secrecy, tease, and a tight-lipped PR line
Turning Point USA announced the All American Halftime Show and has repeatedly framed details as “coming soon,” and when pressed publicly TPUSA’s PR manager told TMZ multiple performers are “locked in” but refused to name anyone or confirm whether the program will air live [1], a posture echoed by TPUSA’s public-facing web form that solicits fan genre preferences rather than a roster [5].
2. Explicit denials and withdrawals: artists who have said they won’t play
Some performers directly repudiated reports tying them to the TPUSA halftime show: worship artist Cory Asbury — and his collaborator Forrest Frank — publicly said they would not be part of the event because visions were “incompatible,” a denial reported in Hindustan Times [2]; separately, Rolling Stone documented that social posts claiming Neil Young, Joan Baez or Willie Nelson would perform were fabricated and that representatives rejected those claims, with at least one rep calling such posts “AI horseshit” [3].
3. High-profile names—rumor, AI fakery, and “no confirmation” statements
A long list of mainstream and country figures — from Kid Rock and Creed to Morgan Wallen, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood and Guy Penrod — have been floated online as potential headliners, but multiple outlets emphasize there was no verified confirmation from the artists or TPUSA when the rumors spread, and some of those claims relied on unverified social accounts or AI-generated images [6] [4] [2] [3].
4. Partial acceptances and associations: what counts as “participation”
The clearest example of a performer publicly linked to TPUSA events is Lara Trump, who has both discussed and been associated with performing at TPUSA gatherings and was reported by Newsweek in the context of the group’s halftime show conversation; that coverage included an update noting comment from Tom MacDonald but did not establish a broad commercial-star lineup beyond political-adjacent performers [7]. Separately, Nicki Minaj’s appearance at a prior TPUSA event was noted in TMZ as precedent that TPUSA can book well-known acts, but that prior appearance does not amount to a confirmed commitment to the All American Halftime Show [1].
5. The reporting landscape: contested claims, influential amplifiers, and why certainty is limited
Coverage from mainstream and fact-checking outlets shows a pattern: influencers and partisan media amplified speculative posters and AI fakes, TPUSA’s own messaging encouraged conjecture by promising details “soon,” and in many cases artists’ teams or outlets pushed back, left questions unanswered, or were never contacted — leaving the strongest verified facts limited to TPUSA’s announcement and a handful of public denials [5] [1] [3] [2].
Conclusion: who has publicly accepted or denied?
Based on the available reporting, the clearest public denials are from Cory Asbury and Forrest Frank stating they will not participate [2], and reputable outlets have documented false claims about Neil Young, Joan Baez and Willie Nelson that their teams denied [3]. TPUSA says multiple performers are locked in but has not named them [1], and most celebrity names circulating online remain unconfirmed or were generated by speculative or AI-amplified content [4] [6]. If additional artists formally accept or deny participation, reliable outlets will need to publish direct statements from the performers or their representatives — the present record is a mix of denials, nonconfirmations, and organizational secrecy [1] [4].