Worship leader Cory Asbury is calling off his proposed alternative Super Bowl halftime show with Christian music artist Forrest Frank.

Just one month after proposing the faith-based alternative programming, Asbury says what he initially dreamed of doing began to "devolve into something else."

"What started as a dream to lift up the name of Jesus during one of the biggest moments of the year began to devolve into something else, something distracting," Asbury wrote in an Instagram post. "After much prayer, we've decided not to move forward with it in its current form. Not forever, just not now."
 

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As CBN News reported, Asbury pitched the "insane idea" after secular artist Bad Bunny was revealed to be the featured entertainment for the 2026 Apple Music Super Bowl halftime show—a 12- to 15-minute slot that could be seen by over 100 million people.

Asbury mentioned that it would be great to have another option for faith-and-family oriented football fans, especially for those who did not want to watch Bunny, who is widely known for his sexually explicit lyrics.

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"What if we did an alternative, family-friendly halftime show for the Super Bowl?" Asbury had said in a video on social media on October 7th. "Every year, everyone is all up in arms about the performer for the halftime show, and I get it because, 9 times out of 10, it's raunchy as heck."

"You're seeing stuff you don't want to see [and] you're hearing stuff you don't want to hear, especially for your kids," Asbury explained. 

He mentioned the idea of adding Forrest Frank to the performance.

"So what if we threw together an alternate show at a different venue with just the biggest Christian artists and glorified the name of Jesus on a gigantic scale, at a gigantic level," Asbury said. "I've already talked to my boy Forrest. He is 'down to clown.'"

Fans sent Asbury "tens of thousands of messages and comments" saying they loved the idea. Additionally, Turning Point USA announced it was holding its own alternative halftime event called the "All-American Halftime Show."

The near-simultaneous announcements led many to believe that Asbury, Frank, and Turing Point USA would be collaborating on the show, but the "Reckless Love" singer cleared up any confusion in a video on social media explaining there would be no partnership.

"In the spirit of unity, Forrest and I jumped on a call with their team," Asbury said of TPUSA. "But, at the end of the day, the two visions [for an alternative half-time show] are just incompatible."

At the time, the 40-year-old noted that he wanted to reach out to donors and partners who could help with the logistics of his show, which would be more focused on "glorifying the name of Jesus."

However, Asbury is now nixing the idea – but not forever.

"This dream was never about rivalry. It's not us vs. Bad Bunny. It's not us vs. Turning Point USA," he wrote. "It's not about politics, parties, or proving a point. The heart was never competition, just worship. We want whatever we do next to be pure and focused solely on Jesus, not on headlines, not on hype. We do believe there is something great to come in the spirit of what we were dreaming up, but since there is a different expression God has in mind."

Asbury added, "Massive thank you to all who offered stadiums, arenas, churches, and other resources with no strings attached. Your commitment to see the Gospel furthered is beautiful, and it will bear much fruit."

Turning Point USA will host its halftime show on February 8, 2026. The organization has not yet announced a lineup.