Why fans think Miley Cyrus just snatched the Super Bowl spot from Taylor Swift

Miley Cyrus has become the latest name at the center of the Super Bowl LXI halftime show mystery, sending fans into a frenzy with a rehearsal post.

The 33-year-old singer shared two black-and-white photos from rehearsals on October 6, accompanied by the caption, “Bowl rehearsals. See you soon.”

That was enough to send social media detectives into overdrive, particularly because the NFL has yet to officially reveal the performer for the February 14, 2027, spectacle at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The venue and date are confirmed, but the halftime headliner remains unannounced.

Cyrus ’ post arrived just one day after a supposed Apple Music leak began circulating online. Screenshots claimed the streaming service had briefly posted a teaser featuring the silhouette of a female performer before deleting it.

However, investigators found no reliable evidence that Apple Music had actually published the material, and reports have described the alleged leak as fabricated.

That hasn’t stopped fans from connecting the dots. Some wondered whether Cyrus had accidentally revealed her biggest booking yet, while others pointed out a much more obvious explanation for the word “Bowl.”

Why the Miley theory is taking off

Cyrus is scheduled to perform at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on October 16 and 18, making “Bowl rehearsals” a very plausible reference to those upcoming shows. Rehearsing for a February halftime performance in early October would also be unusually early, leaving plenty of room for skepticism.

Still, Cyrus isn’t a random candidate. FanDuel previously listed her among the leading contenders for the 2027 halftime slot, with odds ahead of Taylor Swift and several other major artists. That doesn’t confirm anything, but it explains why her post attracted so much attention.

Swift remains a major part of the conversation. Fans have hoped she’ll headline the halftime show, especially given her cultural reach and close connection to the NFL through husband Travis Kelce . Yet there’s still no official indication that she’s involved.

Kelce , meanwhile, has been focused on the Chiefs’ strong start to the 2026 season. He said on New Heights that celebrating his birthday with Swift in New York was fun, while the team’s victory over the Raiders was the best present of all.

“And the best news that I got on my birthday was that we got a victory,” Travis said. “That was the happiness I had around my birthday. I got the win going into the bye [week] and we’re 4 and 0.”