Entertainment

6 details you may have missed from Beyoncé's Christmas halftime show on Netflix

Beyonce dressed in white surrounded by dancers dressed in white
Beyoncé performed at halftime during the Netflix-streamed game against the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans on Christmas Day. Eric Christian Smith/AP
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Beyoncé took over the field at halftime during the Christmas Day game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans, which streamed live on Netflix. And it was such a visual and musical spectacle that you might've missed some things.

The Houston native performed eight songs from her "Cowboy Carter" album during her 12-minute performance at NRG Stadium in Houston. The spectacle fittingly included several nods to Texas, Mexican, and rodeo culture and an appearance from her daughter, Blue Ivy.

Since you might have missed some easter eggs, cameos, references, and details, we rounded them up:

Beyoncé's performance included several nods to her hometown culture of Houston.

Beyoncè riding a white horse
Beyoncè riding a white horse during her Christmas Day performance on Netflix. Parkwood Entertainment

During her performance, Beyoncé included several nods to Texas and Houston culture, superficially Western and rodeo culture.

She began the sprawling show singing "16 Carraiges" while sitting on a white horse. She wore a custom white cowboy hat designed by ASN Hats, a Cowboy Carter sash, and a Roberto Cavalli coat from the designer's archive.

The horse was pulled by a man always wearing a cowboy hat, wide belt buckle, and cowboy boots.

As the horse walked into the stadium, it passed several low-rider cars, popular in Houston, that sat in front of an American flag seemingly wrapped in plastic.

Later in the performance, Beyoncé performed a line dance, another nod to Texas and rodeo culture.

Cameos in the performance also made clear that Bey wanted to celebrate rodeo culture, such as the inclusion of bull-riding icon Myrtis Dightman, Jr. and the first Black Rodeo Queen in Arkansas, Ja'Dayia Kursh.

Beyoncé also paid tribute to Mexican culture.

Beyonce on a floating stage dressed in white
Beyonce on a floating stage during the halftime performance. Brooke Sutton/Getty

During her performance on the field, Beyoncé said, "One, two, tres!" It seems as if the pop star was attempting to include the 2.7 million Spanish speakers in the city of Houston.

One of her outfits also resembled the pattern of a mariachi singer.

Lastly, Mexican Cowgirl Melanie Rivera was spotted among the crowd of performers.

Beyoncé performed with her daughter, Blue Ivy.

Beyonce and Blue Ivy dressed in white
Beyoncé performing with her daughter Blue Ivy. David J. Phillip/AP

Beyoncé has collaborated with her firstborn, Blue Ivy, many times over her career, and Christmas Day was the latest. It marked the first time the 12-year-old performed onstage with her mom since 2023's Renaissance World Tour.

While Blue Ivy performed choreography behind and beside Beyoncé, she notably appeared to be the only dancer on the field who didn't wear a platinum blonde wig.

Beyoncé's longtime dance captain, Ashley Everett, returned.

Beyonce with dancers dressed in white
Ashley Everett (center) performing with Beyoncé. Brooke Sutton/Getty

The biggest Beyhive fans spotted Beyoncé's longtime dance captain, Ashley Everett, was among the hundreds of dancers on the field. Her appearance comes after she was absent from Bey's Renassaince World Tour.

Everett became famous as one of two dancers in Beyoncé's iconic "Single Ladies" music video.

Even the Houston Texans owners got in on the fun.

Cal McNail and wife Hannah dressed in suits
Houston Texans owner Cal McNair and his wife, Hannah. Tim Warner/Getty

During the performance, Beyoncé recreated a traditional homecoming parade, complete with a car caravan and the appearance of two "homecoming" queens — Miss Rodeo Texas Princess 2004 and Miss Rodeo Texas 2015.

In one of the cars was also Texans owner Cal McNair and his wife Hannah — another nod to Houston.

The performance had a homecoming feel.

band performing dressed in white
Texas Southern University's Ocean of Soul Marching Band. Mason Poole/Parkwood Entertainment

Beyoncé had her own homecoming, as the Houston native returned to perform during this Christmas Day performance. She made that plain by bringing a Texas homecoming game vibe to her performance, complete with drum majors, line dancing, and performers sporting sashes. She also featured 200 members of Texas Southern University's Ocean of Soul Marching Band.

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Jason Guerrasio
Jason Guerrasio
Jason Guerrasio is an award-winning entertainment correspondent at Business Insider and has covered various aspects of the film industry for over two decades. On the site, his reporting can range from what's going on behind the scenes at some of the biggest companies in Hollywood, colorful interviews with some of the most well-known names in entertainment, and exploring the darker side of the industry.In 2020, Jason received the New York Press Club award and Los Angeles Press Club award for his story on the rise and fall of MoviePass. It has since been made into the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary "MoviePass, MovieCrash."Previous to BI, Jason was the managing editor at Filmmaker Magazine, one of the leading publications in the independent film industry. He's also written for numerous publications over the years, including Vanity Fair, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Vulture, Variety, and indieWire.Popular ArticlesMary Carole McDonnell built a true-crime empire. Then the FBI came for her. Growing up Marvel: The tormented life of Stan Lee's child, JC LeeA bullet. A legend. A lie. Bufford Pusser killed his wife, authorities say. What happens to his legacy now?
Joi-Marie McKenzie
Joi-Marie McKenzie
Joi-Marie McKenzie is the editor in chief of the Life team at Business Insider, overseeing entertainment, real estate, lifestyle, health, parenting, and our Style & Success coverage.Previously, she worked for nearly a decade in network news at NBC and ABC, along with Good Morning America, where she earned an Emmy Award. McKenzie was also a senior entertainment editor at Essence magazine and deputy editor of entertainment at Insider.While serving as deputy editor of entertainment at Insider, now known as Business Insider, McKenzie earned several journalism awards and recognition. She was also nominated for the editor executive of the year in 2022 by the Drum Awards.The fifth-generation writer and editor has moderated conversations for The Paley Center for Media, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, and Barnes and Noble in New York City.McKenzie has written two books, both released by Hachette. Her first was a critically-acclaimed memoir titled "The Engagement Game," and she also wrote "The Pursuit of Porsha," the memoir of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Porsha Williams.McKenzie also sits on the board of Color Vision, an organization that helps, educates, and informs women of color in creative fields. She's also a board member of The Afro American Newspaper, which serves the Baltimore-Washington area and was founded by her great-great-grandfather, John H. Murphy Sr., a formerly enslaved Civil War veteran.