Good Morning Britain host Ed Balls questioned whether the Super Bowl has ‘lost its way’ in the wake of Rihanna's highly-anticipated halftime show over the weekend.
The songstress, 34, took to the stage in Arizona for an impressive display of her hits, which also saw her unveil a blossoming baby bump as she’s expecting her second child.
Resplendent in red on a floating platform, Rihanna stunned fans with the 13-minute set of her iconic tunes, including All of the Lights, Umbrella and Diamonds.
However, former MP Ed was left questioning whether the Super Bowl had forgotten what the halftime show was supposed to be a platform for – showcasing emerging talent.
The debate arose as entertainment reporter Richard Arnold treated ITV viewers to a debrief of the performance, during the break in the huge showdown between Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs at the State Farm Stadium.
Ed asked: “Do you think they've lost their way on these shows?” He then explained: “It used to be a rising star. It's just become a legends slot. Shouldn't that be an afternoon Sunday at Glastonbury?”
Richard then jokingly asked: “You didn't get a card that morning did you?” but co-host Ranvir Singh insisted they had received Valentine’s Day cards.
Ed defended himself, saying: “I'm just saying. Have they lost their way with these shows?”
An indignant Richard replied: “I don't think so! The spectacular and the bums on seats speak for itself!
“Her halftime show has over 20 million YouTube views and she's currently number one digital artist, so there you go Ed. The votes are in. I'm afraid they don't agree with you.”
Rihanna’s set at this year's Super Bowl 57 was full of thrills and had the crowd in the stadium on the edge of their seats.
A mass of backing dancers donned white puffer suits as the pop icon treated fans to a superb medley of her past hit tunes.
As the star was raised to the skies again on the levitating platform to bring an end to the show, fireworks lit up the sky and the crowd rose to their feet to cheer their halftime star.
Rihanna’s second pregnancy comes just nine months after she welcomed her first child with A$AP Rocky.
It was RiRi's first time performing live on TV in five years as she followed the likes of Beyonce, Justin Timberlake and last year's show of Dre Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Mary J Blige to be watched by millions of people across the world.
Speaking to Apple Music ahead of her performance, she revealed that 400 people had been involved in the production process and there had been 39 different set-lists as she laboured over what songs to perform, and how.
*Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV
