Forget Rihanna’s Pregnancy, The Real Halftime Star Was ASL Interpreter Justina Miles Cutting Loose

By Raven Brunner @raventbrunner
Published Feb. 12, 2023, 10:29 p.m. ET

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Super Bowl 2023

Rihanna’s American Sign Language interpreter looked like she was having more fun than the superstar during her Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show performance at the 2023 Super Bowl. After the hype of the singer’s baby reveal died down, videos quickly circulated on social media showing the interpreter cutting loose during the anticipated show. 

ASL interpreter Justina Miles performed twice during the sports event. She first took the stage during Sheryl Lee Ralph’s moving rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in the preshow.

Miles appeared on screen again during Rihanna’s Halftime Show – becoming the first female deaf woman to provide ASL interpretation during the coveted spot.

While Rihanna kept it simple, choosing to perform with minimal choreography and no special guests (aside from Baby #2), Miles demonstrated that she’s the life of the party. The interpreter brought some of her own dance moves which she showed off while signing the lyrics to the performer’s throwback hits, including “Bitch Better Have My Money,” “Umbrella,” and “Only Girl (In the World).” 

“Rihanna’s deffo pulling some queen shit BUT ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS ASL INTERPRETER? She’s doing such a great job and bringing so much energy,” wrote one fan.

Another tweeted, “rihanna was incredible but omg the ASL interpreter they had for her performance was LIVING. 10/10 all around.”

A third wrote, “So we’re not going to talk about how that ASL interpreter was turning tf up?!” They continued, “At some points I forgot #Rihanna was the one performing & almost missed it. They were both exceptional.” 

According to CBNC, Miles is a 20-year-old nursing student at the HBCU Bowie State University. The interpreter went viral in 2020 for paying homage to Lil’ Kim’s 1997 song “Crush on You.” While speaking about her opportunity at the Super Bowl, she said, “I value the opportunity to make it possible for all deaf people to enjoy these songs, and not have them miss out on the full Super Bowl experience.”

Fox Sports offers a dedicated livestream on their YouTube channel for sign language interpretations during the preshow and Halftime performances, per the National Association of the Deaf. Along with Miles, Colin Denny, and Troy Kotsur also performed. 

At the time of reporting, the Halftime performance has been privated and is unable to be viewed on the YouTube channel, despite people on Twitter sharing links and boasting about the performance.