Samuel L. Jackson surprised viewers as the first face to light up the Super Bowl 2025 halftime show, introducing himself as "your Uncle Sam" and issuing commands to the rebellious rapper.

Spike Lee dug Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl LIX halftime show, and he especially liked what he (and others) saw as an homage to his 2015 film "Chi-Raq." Lamar cast Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam in his 2025 halftime performance;

Since Lamar was announced as the Super Bowl's halftime performer, there has been a heavy American theme. Uncle Sam is commonly used as a human personification of the country and bringing in one of the world's most famous Sam's to play the role was an intentional choice from Lamar.