Charlie Puth Responds After Conservative Commentator Doubts His Ability To Sing National Anthem At Super Bowl

This year’s NFL Super Bowl is shaping up to be a music lover’s dream. Bad Bunny, Coco Jones, Brandi Carlile, and Charlie Puth are all set to perform. But somehow, amid all the excitement, conservative commentator Link Lauren decided his next political crusade would be… vocally gatekeeping Charlie Puth.

On Monday, Lauren logged onto X and questioned the NFL’s decision to have the 34-year-old Puth sing the National Anthem.

He wrote:

“Man we’ve fallen from when Whitney Houston sang at the Super Bowl. Charlie Puth? He’s not gonna give us vocals I’m afraid.”

A bold claim from a man whose own musical résumé includes a handful of TikTok-era singles and about 6,000 monthly Spotify listeners—which is adorable, but maybe not the basis for critiquing a stadium performance.

And for those blissfully unaware, Lauren—sometimes referred to as “MAGA Malfoy”—has built his brand on influencer content, culture-war commentary, and a brief stint as a senior advisor to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s short-lived presidential campaign. None of this screams “resident expert on live performance,” but the internet rarely checks credentials before having opinions.

Puth, who is an actual Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and producer behind TikTok montage hits like See You Again, Attention, Left and Right, and We Don’t Talk Anymore, decided he wasn’t going to let Lauren’s critique float by unchallenged.

His clapback was worth all the snaps:

“I’ll never claim to be as good of a singer as Whitney Houston ever was. But I assure you we’re putting a really special arrangement together- in D major. It’ll be one of my best vocal performances.”

You can view his post below:

Let’s pause for a moment. Whitney Houston’s Super Bowl performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" remains one of the greatest vocal displays in modern history. No one has topped it, and no one is pretending they will.

Houston was 27 when she performed at Super Bowl XXV, already the first artist in history with seven consecutive singles to go to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. That was before the peaks and valleys of the second half of her career, which only makes the achievement more jaw-dropping.

And just in case you need a reminder, you can watch the iconic performance below:

- YouTubeWhitney Houston Remastered

So, calm down, Link. We can enjoy more than one singer at a time.

Not wanting to lose the last word, Lauren responded with a follow-up message, insisting he didn’t mean to shade Puth—despite very obviously shading Puth.

Lauren wrote:

“Can’t wait! 👀 I wish you nothing but success, but just miss our big belting divas like Whitney. What an era. Make sure they know it’s D major and not b minor. Cheers Char! 🤝🥂”

A note to Lauren: Correcting a Grammy-nominated producer on keys is a choice. A loud choice. An incorrect choice at that, sir.

The back-and-forth unfolded just as the NFL confirmed that Puth will perform the National Anthem at Super Bowl LX, which takes place Sunday, February 8, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Coco Jones will perform Lift Every Voice and Sing, and Brandi Carlile will sing America the Beautiful.

The League is clearly going for powerhouse voices and respected musicians, a category Charlie Puth easily fits in, even if certain political commentators are confused about that.

Desiree Perez, CEO of Roc Nation, praised the lineup in a statement:

“Charlie, Brandi, and Coco are generational talents, and we are honored to have them—alongside our extraordinary deaf performers—on Super Bowl LX’s world stage. This moment embodies the very best of culture, live performance, and our country, perfectly kicking off game day.”

And social media handed Puth his flowers along with subtle reminders that Link Lauren picked the wrong singer to critique:

While critics online debated Puth’s vocal abilities, Puth celebrated the announcement in the most Charlie Puth way possible: by posting a comedy-leaning video where he explains to football players why "The Star-Spangled Banner" is notorious for its difficulty. Posted two days ago, he breaks down the song’s leaps, high notes, and melodic traps.

In the caption, he wrote:

“I can’t believe I’m saying this… I will be performing the National Anthem at Super Bowl LX.”

By the final seconds of the clip, well, you can hear his own take on the anthem:

Whose house? It’s obviously Puth’s house.

Meanwhile, Bad Bunny remains set to headline the halftime show, joining the long list of superstar performers who have taken the Super Bowl stage: Beyoncé, The Weeknd, Rihanna, Madonna, Shakira, Usher, and Kendrick Lamar among them.

So yes, the 2026 Super Bowl lineup is stacked to the nines. And when Charlie Puth starts singing, the only thing falling will be Link Lauren’s confidence in ever questioning a man with perfect pitch.