“They’re really good friends, and he definitely was supporting him,” said Lil Jon of Bieber and Usher following the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show

By Jack Irvin  Published on February 15, 2024 05:45PM EST

Lil Jon, Usher, Justin Bieber . PHOTO:

FILMMAGIC FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, JEFF KRAVITZ/FILMMAGIC, DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS/GETTY

Many fans were hoping to see Justin Bieber pop up alongside Usher during the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show, but the pop superstar ultimately watched his friend’s performance from the stands. Now, Lil Jon is opening up about Bieber’s absence.

After joining Usher for “Turn Down for What” and “Yeah!” during the halftime show in Las Vegas on Sunday, the “Get Low” rapper, 53, reflected on the performance in a new interview with TMZ Live and explained that Bieber “wasn’t really ready” to hop on stage.

“We wanted to put Justin in the show, so we had the idea of doing a version of the show with Justin in it,” said Lil Jon. “But I think Justin just wasn’t really ready. That’s a lot of rehearsal, a lot of responsibility, a lot of time and a lot of eyeballs. I don’t know if he was ready to do all of that, you know?”

Justin Bieber Congratulates Usher on the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show: ‘Love You My Brother’

“I mean, he definitely was there supporting Ush,” Lil Jon added of Bieber, 29, who watched the game with wife Hailey in a suite at Allegiant Stadium. “They’re really good friends, and he definitely was supporting him regardless.”

The Grammy winner said Bieber “was thinking about” performing in the show, which also featured Ludacris, Alicia Keys, will.i.am, Jermaine Dupri and H.E.R., but ultimately did not attend rehearsals. “I don’t know if he was ready to have that undertaking,” he added.

Following Usher’s halftime show, Bieber posted to Instagram on Monday and congratulated the R&B superstar, 45, with whom he’s collaborated on 2009’s “First Dance” and 2010’s “Somebody to Love (Remix).”

Usher and Justin Bieber.

KEVIN MAZUR/WIREIMAGE

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“LOVE YOU MY BROTHER,” Bieber began the sweet message.

He went on to praise the Grammy winner’s 13-minute performance, which featured impressive choreography and a setlist full of hits like “Caught Up,” “Love in This Club,” “OMG” and “Yeah!,” among other songs.

“NOONE CAN SING AND DANCE THE WAY YOU DO,” Bieber wrote. “LOVE YOU FROM THE DEPTHS OF MY HEART.”

Usher.

ETHAN MILLER/GETTY

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“BROUGHT THE ‘A’ TO THE WORLD,” the Justice artist added, referring to Usher’s Atlanta hometown and how he repeated, “I took the world to the A,” at the end of his performance.

Bieber concluded, “ONLY YOU BABYYYYYY 😘.”

Usher wowed the stadium and viewers at home with his halftime show performance. The set began with early hits and went on to encapsulate the energy of his recent, acclaimed My Way Las Vegas residency, as he was joined by a legion of Sin City-themed showgirls and even performed choreography on roller skates.