On Feb. 7, 2021, shortly after musician The Weeknd finished his halftime performance at Super Bowl LV, a rumor started circulating on social media that the name "Satan" had briefly appeared on screen during the set.
Here's a screenshot of one video that was posted on Facebook.
The word "Satan" did not flash on screen during The Weeknd's Super Bowl performance in February 2021. This image actually comes from his 2017 concert at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Here's the original video. The word "Satan" can be seen around the 3-minute mark:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1ZVlWSFUqs&t=0s
This video appears to show a performance by The Weeknd of his song "Reminder" as the screen in the background flashes words like "pain" and "Satan" and displays images with guns and apocalyptic scenery.
While we can't decipher exactly what The Weeknd was trying to say with this imagery, we can say that the singer released several music videos around this time for his album "Starboy" that also featured satanic imagery. The website DJBooth.net attempted to decipher the various conspiracy theories about these videos, writing:
It’s a story of the singer and his connection to a devil-esque deity. The two are connected, but how is never revealed. Having to guess what the bigger picture is without any hints from the artist is why the internet is full of speculation, theories, and conspiracies surrounding the videos and what The Weeknd is trying to convey. The Toronto singer recently released two new videos for singles “Star Boy” and “False Alarm,” which have once again caused the internet to ask more questions in an attempt to figure out how they connect with the previous three.
The devil deity doesn’t have a name, but because of how he sets The Weeknd on fire in the “Can’t Feel My Face” video it’s believed he’s some form of Lucifer. The fire doesn’t burn The Weeknd but instead causes him to heat up the nightclub that he’s performing at. A crowd that was once disinterested erupts in excitement once the singer is engulfed in flames. I believe this is supposed to be their first meeting, the deity showing The Weeknd what his power is able to give him: popularity. Since The Weeknd never acknowledges him, it’s as if he gifts him just a taste of what he’s capable of. Since the music industry is a business where souls are sold, what better place to scout than a nightclub, and who better to offer fame than an aspiring singer who’s having a terrible set on stage?
Regardless, the claim that the above-displayed video was taken during The Weeknd's Super Bowl performance is not true. Here's The Weekend's official half time show performane from the NFL:
