Tom Cruise and Kermit the Frog share a moment off the pitch.
Photo: The Muppets
On July 19, after more than a month of makeshift watch parties in bodegas, kitted-out tourists taking over Times Square, and regular eruptions of joy and dismay on street corners, the World Cup came to a close at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. Despite all three of the host countries getting knocked out by the quarter-finals, this was still the most American World Cup ever. European football fans on Reddit griped about the introduction of “hydration breaks,” calling them an excuse to run TV commercials, while Norway’s Erling Haaland discovered the many wonders of Texas, bringing home a ten-gallon hat and a taxidermied raccoon as souvenirs. And of course, for the first time in World Cup history, the final match featured America’s greatest contribution to sports: a celebrity-packed halftime show, including Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber, the school-children of P.S. 22, recent New York transplant Gustavo Dudamel, and, naturally, the Muppets.
The star power extended to the stands. Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, and Mayor Mamdani were all there. Twitch streamer IShowSpeed and Post Malone performed in the preshow. Hours before the 3 p.m. kickoff, some of the A-list talent was ushered through traffic to MetLife, then corralled into a holding area. Bieber could be seen shambling inside, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic arrived by helicopter. Kermit the Frog, meanwhile, befriended one lucky fan: Tom Cruise. In a moment captured on Kermit’s official Instagram, Cruise asked about his halftime plans: “You gonna parachute in? Rappel? Light yourself on fire?”
The 71-year-old frog responded in humble disbelief: “Oh man, is that what you’re gonna do?” Cruise, seven years Kermit’s junior and not made of felt, said, “I’m gonna rappel, parachute, then I’m gonna light myself on fire, then I’m gonna jump into a small bucket to put myself out.”
“Good grief, you sound like Gonzo!” said Kermit. “You’d be great on The Muppet Show.” Cruise was there to give an inspirational opening address. Moments before players took the field, he said, “Football is a language spoken without words, a force that unites people, that turns strangers into friends and reminds us of what we all have in common.” He did not, however, parachute in or light himself on fire.
Sign up for the Vulture Daily
An entertainment newsletter for the pop-culture obsessed.
Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice
Related