Was Samuel L. Jackson duped by Kendrick Lamar? ‘It was kind of trippy’

Hip hop artist and Pulitzer Prize winner Kendrick Lamar is known to drop what fans call “Easter eggs” into his music.

During the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show, Lamar was joined on the Caesars Superdome stage by Samuel L. Jackson, Grammy award-winner SZA, who co-headlines Lamar’s “Grand National Tour,” and tennis Legend Serena Williams. Jackson played Uncle Sam, and the Compton-born Williams sported a blue outfit while Crip-Walking on Drake’s grave.

However, the show was more than just entertainment, and Jackson did not get the full meaning until stumbling into the details. In addition to multiple Drake shots, Lamar had a message laced with symbolism about America, its increasingly fascist government and control. Then recently re-inaugurated Donald Trump attended (at least part of) the game, making Lamar’s performance even more epic.

“I didn’t know that’s what they were doing,” Jackson told the Mad Sad Bad Podcast on Friday. “It was kind of trippy because when we were rehearsing, you know, we just had our clothes on ... and it wasn’t until dress rehearsal when I looked up on that stage. I go, ‘Oh s--t, that’s a flag.’ Then he said ‘[The revolution is about to be televised].’ Because I wasn’t listening and paying attention [until then]. I was like, ‘Oh s--t.’”

While Jackson initially was unaware of what he had signed up for, he doubled down on his rendition of Uncle Sam — a crucial role in the historic ensemble.

“Something about me or my persona has put me in the right place at the right time in a change of the Zeitgeist ... in a lot of different moments in my life,” the Oscar award winner said. “And I have to accept that’s what I’m meant to be sometimes — an agent of change, whether I know it or not — and to be proud of it and to know that God has placed me [where] I can be influential in a real and positive and kind of awesome way.”

Lamar’s showcase — a poignant and masterful display of artistry and protest — carried many cultural implications that onlookers missed, but added to the mystique of what ultimately became the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show.

“I always want to be on the right side of history ... and sometimes it’s not my choice. The powers that be have decided, okay, this is who you are,” Jackson said. “I was just like, ‘This is cute. Kendrick and them had me to do this and my name is Sam.’ ... Then I realize, ‘You are being put in this place for a reason and you are being dressed this way for a reason and you are part of change. This is an awesome moment of change for people sitting there watching a game.’”

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