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Marlee Matlin criticized CBS for not showing deaf performers, like Shaheem Sánchez (pictured), during the Super Bowl broadcast on Sunday. The big game featured several ASL performers during the pregame show and halftime, but none of them received much airtime.
“I am absolutely SHOCKED at CBS for featuring the deaf performers in today’s Super Bowl and then not showing a second (or more) of their performance. . . As has been tradition for the last 30 years,” the Oscar-winning deaf actor wrote on social media. “BECAUSE!?”
Matlin’s “CODA” co-star Daniel Durant performed the national anthem (which was sung by Reba McEntire) while Anjel Piñero performed “America the Beautiful” (which was sung by Post Malone) during the pregame. Sanchez performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (which was sung by Andra Day) in addition to Usher’s halftime show. CBS had shared on X a landing page on their website which featured a live stream of their ASL artists.
CBS was already criticized for the same reasons in last year’s Super Bowl. “The inclusion of three deaf artists in the Super Bowl is a step in the right direction, but the network’s treatment of their performances? It was nothing magnificent,” wrote Alison Stine for Salon. Although ASL artists Justina Miles, Troy Kotsur, and Colin Denny received overwhelming praise for their performances, it was difficult to find them on screen for deaf audiences at home. A YouTube link promised viewers access to performances in sign language, but the link was mislabeled, the stream was glitchy, and the stream did not contain subtitles.